O, sir Pandit, instruct me
How I am to obtain the Lord of life.
Within me is the fire,[1] the garden[2] is in bloom, and I have an ocean[3] within my body.
The moon and sun[4] are both in my heart; thou hast not obtained such knowledge?
He who subdueth mammon knoweth that God is every where diffused;
He may be known by this mark that he storeth contentment as his wealth.[5]
The king dwelleth with those who listen not to advice, and who are not grateful for what they receive.
Chatur Das requested further information. 'Sir, shall the name of God be to any extent obtained by what we teach the people and what we learn ourselves?' The Guru inquired in return: 'O religious teacher, what hast thou read? What teachest thou the people, and what knowledge dost thou communicate to thy disciples?' The Pandit replied: 'By the will of God I teach the people the fourteen sciences—reading, swimming, medicine, alchemy, astrology, singing the six rags and their raginis, the science of sexual enjoyment, grammar, music, horsemanship, dancing, archery, theology, and statesmanship.' The Guru replied that better than all these was knowledge of God. Upon this he repeated the long composition called the Oamkar in the Rag
- ↑ The fire of evil passions.
- ↑ Of my youth.
- ↑ Of desires. Man is here the measure of infinity. The ocean is supposed to contain fire which consumes it and hinders its increase. This fire is called barwānal, and is supposed to be near the Equator.
- ↑ Meditation and divine knowledge.
- ↑ Also translated—He who hoardeth mercy instead of wealth recognizeth God.
- ↑ Literally—in a moment thou canst make a tola a māsha, and in a moment a māsha a tola. A tola is 180 grains avoirdupois, the weight of a rupee. A māsha is the twelfth part of a tola. The hymn is from Basant.
