They alone are of low birth/ Who forget the True Master

Out of the cotton of compassion/ Spin the thread of contentment,

Tie knots of continence, give it the twist of truth.  

Make such a sacred thread for the mind—

Such a thread once worn will never break/ Nor get soiled, burnt or lost....

To remember Him is to live,/ To forget Him is to die.

It is difficult to explain the True Name.

When hunger for it/ Awakens in the heart/ All other hungers depart

And this hunger consumes all suffering.

O my mother!/ The True Lord,/ How can He be named,/ He whose Name is Truth?

The greatness of His Name/ Men's minds grow weary in trying to grasp….

He is the giver,/ The flow of His gifts is unending.

They alone are of low birth/ Who forget the True Master;

Without the grace of His Name/ Their status is low./ There is no other distinction....

In the dawn of true wisdom—buddhi—/ Fed by the light of God’s Name,

In the company of souls devoted to Guru/ Guru the Giver bestows the sacred Name;

Treasuring it the disciple is absorbed in Him.

   -Guru Nanak, in Life and Teachings of Guru Nanak, Yogiji Press, Santa Cruz, NM, 1996, edited by Steve Gilbar and Parmatma Singh Khalsa, pp. 20-3, 69.

southern Oregon Cascades

Guru Nanak, Lanello--illustrations in Prayer and Meditation, 1978