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Asceticism |
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| 1. Of what avail to him are meditation, penances, fasts and worship, In whose mind dwelleth not the Lord. (Kabir ji, Gauri Raga) |
| 2. I meditate and practise austerity, And discipline my body and live at a holy place, And give charity and do good deeds, But without the True Lord, Of what avail are all these? (Guru I, Sri Raga) |
| 3. Repetition of mantras, austerities, set way of living,And other deeds and actions, Leave us destitute even before out journey ends; You shall not get even half a copper for your fasts, And special programme of life. These things, O brother, will not help; For, the requirements of that path are different. (Guru V, Gauri Raga) |
| 4. I do not keep the fast, as kept by Hindus, Nor that observed by Muslims in Ramzan. I serve Him and Him alone, Who is my ultimate Refuge. (Guru V, Bhairo Raga) |
| 5. By abiding in silence and taking meals on the palms of hands and not on plate, And wandering naked through woods, And going about bathing at all the pilgrim places and sacred rivers, Yea, even wandering throughout the world, The sense of duality goes not, But ever grows in the heart. One may dwell at holy places as much as one wishes, Even if one chooses to be sawn alive there, Themind defiled by sin is cleansed not thus, However one may try. One may gift away one’s wife laden with gold, One may give away in charity, horses, elephants, land and grain, But one cannot find Lord’s gate that way, (Guru V, Sorath Raga) |
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6. By reading the holy books, By controlling breath and cleansing the inner system by Yogic exercises, One cannot get rid of the five evils; On the other hand one gets self-conceited more and more. One may worship and make flower offerings to the gods, And may prostrate like a log before them, And perform the six karmas as mentioned in the Shastras, But the fetters of egoism loosen not, Rather, become even more tight, And one attains not God even this wise. (Guru V, Sorath Raga) |
| 7. One may practice Yoga, like a Sidha, And may be able to practice all the eighty-four postures, One may achieve longevity, But shall be born again and again and meet not God. (Guru V, Sorath Raga ) |
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8. O, ignorant man, torture not your body as if in a furnance, Feed not the fire with your bones,There is nothing wrong; Why hang yourself upside down? Look within yourself for the Lord, And you will attain peace. (Guru I, Shlokas) |
| 9. He who abstains from eating bread, Deprives himself of God-given blessing, And being led astry suffers much discomfort. He who wears no clothes, remains day and night in tribulations. By practicing silence man stupefies himself; How can he be awakened from th stupor except by the Guru? He walks bare-footed and suffers as he deserves. (Guru I, Asa Raga) |
| 10. Some wander about hungry and naked, And invite death by practicing rigorous austerities; They know not the value of life. (Guru I, Maru Raga) |
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11. He eats filth and puts ashes on his head, The blind fool only loses his self-respect; He spends his days in wilderness, And at graveyards and rematoriums, The foolish man does not know that he will have to regret it afterwards, Only that man finds peace, who meets the Guru, And enshrines the Nam of God in his heart. (Guru I Asa Raga) |
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12. Some go about visiting the places of pilgrimage, And eat not bread, believing it a good religious act; Some expose themselves to blazing fire, And torture their bodies thus. But they can get no salvation this way. How could they? They who do not understand the Guru;s wisdom, Wander in wilderness, Being ego-centric and with no control on self, They dwell not on God’s Nam. They practice falsehood and waste away their lives, And this wise fall into the noose of death. (Guru I, Maru Raga) |
| 13. Some go to the jungle and sit in silence; Some overcome chill and frost and suffer cold water: Some be smear their bodies with ashes and do not wash the dirt; Some keep matted hair and appear harsh and frightful; They all put their family to disgrace.l Some wander day and night naked and do not sleep;; Some burn the parts of their body i fire and disfigure themselves; The body is like ashes without the Nam of the Lord; What do they say while weeping? those who serve the true Guru get respect in the presence of the Lord. (Guru I, Malhar Raga) |
| 14. He walks bare-footed, And reaps the fruit of his actions, He eats dirty food and throws ashes on his head.The blind fool has lost his honour; He lives in desers and cremation grounds, The blind does not know the reality and afterwards repents. (Guru I, Asa Raga) |
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15. How can I with hungry stomach devote myself to Thee? Take away Thy rosary. (Kabirji, Sorath Raga) |
| 16. Shall we go to bathe at the pilgrim places?No, Nam is the only sacred place of pilgrimage. (Guru I, Dhansri Raga) |
| 17. I would bathe at the sacred places,If by doing so I could please Him;But what use is the Bathing, If it pleases Him not that way. How can mere bathing help? (Guru I, Japuji) |
| 18. You will not get a place there for all your bathing,And wandering in different places.All these are useless,They cannot satisfy the conditions of that world. (Guru V, Gauri Raga) |
| 19. I shall not go for Haj to Mecca, Nor worship at the Hindu places,I shall serve only Him and none else. (Guru V, Bhairo Raga) |