Thousands upon thousands of celibates, true men, and Sanyasis;[1]
Thousands upon thousands of Gorakhs,[2] thousands upon thousands of superiors of Jogis;
Thousands upon thousands of men sitting in attitudes of contemplation, gurus, and their disciples who make supplications;
Thousands upon thousands of goddesses and gods, thousands of demons;
Thousands upon thousands of Muhammadan priests, prophets, spiritual leaders, thousands upon thousands of qazis, mullas, and shaikhs—
None of them obtaineth peace of mind without the instruction of the true guru.
How many hundreds of thousands of sidhs[3] and strivers,[4] yea, countless and endless!
All are impure without meditating on the word of the true guru.
There is one Lord over all spiritual lords, the Creator whose name is true.
Nanak, His worth cannot be ascertained; He is endless and incalculable.[5]
It is said that Daulat Khan, the Musalman ruler, on hearing this sublime hymn, fell at Guru Nanak's feet. The people admitted that God was speaking through Nanak's mouth, and that it was useless to catechize him further. The Nawab, in an outburst
- ↑ The Sanyāsis are anchorets who have abandoned the world, and are popularly believed to have overcome nature. The word sanyās means renunciation.
- ↑ Gorakh was a famous Jogi who lived many centuries ago. His followers slit their ears, and make Shiv the special object of their worship. The name Gorakh, meaning Supporter of the earth, is often used for God in the sacred writings of the Sikhs.
- ↑ Sidhs, in Sanskrit Siddhs, are persons who by the practice of Jog are popularly supposed to acquire extended life and miraculous powers.
- ↑ Sādhik, persons aspiring to be Sidhs.
- ↑ Banno's Granth Sāhib. An account of Banno will be found in the life of Guru Arjan.
