Guru Nanak and Sahaja

There are many references to Sahaja in the writings of Guru Nanak (1469-1539), preserved in the Adi Granth.


Mera mani mera man eara Ram piyara Ram

Believe me, my mind is imbued with love of my beloved Rama
The Lord is the truth. He is the primal person, He is beyond all limits.
Him I have accepted as my Rama
He is beyond reach, beyond comprehension of the senses

Beyond our most distant horizons.
He is the Great God who presides over everything.
He was before everything else;
He was when Time began,
He is and ever shall be.
Believe me all else is falsehood.
He who knows not the worth of good deeds and piety,
How can he understand anything?
How shall he attain salvation?
Sayeth Nanak, the saintly know the Word
Day and night they meditate upon the Name.

Believe me my mind has accepted the Name of Rama as its companion
I know that neither ego nor things I love nor wealth will go with me, O Rama!
Neither mother nor father, brother nor sons
Nor any of cunning devices nor property will help you take them or your wives with you.
I have forsaken wealth, divorced maya [illusion] from my mind and crushed her under my foot.

The Primal Lord showed me the way
Wherever I turn I see Him.

Sayeth Nanak, abandon not the worship of Hari,
By the gentle path of Sahaja, you will attain Him.

Believe me, my mind has been purified,
It seeks the Truth, O Rama!
My sins are forgiven,
I am at the meeting of rivers of virtue, O Rama!
I abandon evil ways and tread the path of virtue;
I am at the gate of Truth,
I shall not be born to die,
I have imbibed the quintessence of the guru’s teaching.
Noble Friend! Learned Companion!
When I meet Thee I see the Truth and am exalted.
O Nanak, the jewel of the Name glitters,
Such is the message of the guru!

Truth is the salve
This salve I apply to my own eyes,
I beheld the Lord and loved Him, O Rama!
My mind and body rejoiced in Him.
He gives life to the world, He is bountiful, O Rama!
He is the giver of life to the world,
He is the Bountiful Lord.
I have dyed my mind with the colours of Hari’s Name,
By the gentle way of Sahaj He blended me with Him.

I found the company of holy men
Companionship of the congregation
By the grace of God I achieved tranquility.
Seekers immerse in the worship of Hari,
Conquer the cravings of attachment and desire.
Sayeth Nanak, once the ego is destroyed
The fortunate ones are confirmed in their faith.



Siddha Goshta

Part of the Adi Granth, the Siddha Goshta is based on a dialogue said to have taken place between Guru Nanak and a band of yogis who came to visit him.

(extracts)

The yogis took their seats on their prayer-mats
And spake in chorus: “our salutations to this holy assemblage!”

“I salute Him who is the Truth”, replied Nanak,
“Who is Infinity, Who is without any limit.
Fain would I sever my head with my own hand
And lay it at His feet!
To Him I dedicate my body and my soul.
Truth is however also found in the company of the hold and through them the soul is led by the path of sahaja to glory.
But what use is it to wander in the wilderness?
Through truth alone is true purification
Without the True Word there is no salvation.” …

“In the calm of sahaja’s cave you can discover the True One,
Sayeth Nanak, the True One loves the truthful.” …

“Through the guru’s instruction free yourself of desires
Let triumph over desires be the emblem you wear;
Know that in every heart that beats
The Lord of life hath His mansion.
It is through the guru’s teaching
We merge in the Formless One.

By the gentle path of Sahaja
Attain God, Purest of the Pure.
A disciple who serves his guru and no other
Will succeed, says Nanak, that is sure.”