Guru Nanak Quotations

That one plant should be sown and another be produced cannot happen; whatever seed is sown, a plant of that kind even comes forth.

Thou has a thousand eyes and yet not one eye; Thou host a thousand forms and yet not one form.

Let no man in the world live in delusion. Without a Guru none can cross over to the other shore.

I am not the born; how can there be either birth or death for me?

I bow at His Feet constantly, and pray to Him, the Guru, the True Guru, has shown me the Way.

I am neither a child, a young man, nor an ancient; nor am I of any caste.

Alone let him constantly meditate in solitude on that which is salutary for his soul, for he who meditates in solitude attains supreme bliss.

Offspring, the due performance on religious rites, faithful service, highest conjugal happiness and heavenly bliss for the ancestors and oneself, depend on one's wife alone.

Sing the songs of joy to the Lord, serve the Name of the Lord, and become the servant of His servants.

Even Kings and emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of God.

Through shallow intellect, the mind becomes shallow, and one eats the fly, along with the sweets.

Whatever kind of seed is sown in a field, prepared in due season, a plant of that same kind, marked with the peculiar qualities of the seed, springs up in it.

One cannot comprehend Him through reason, even if one reasoned for ages.

Owing to ignorance of the rope the rope appears to be a snake; owing to ignorance of the Self the transient state arises of the individualized, limited, phenomenal aspect of the Self.

Whatever be the qualities of the man with whom a woman is united according to the law, such qualities even she assumes, like a river, united with the ocean.

The production of children, the nurture of those born, and the daily life of men, of these matters woman is visibly the cause.

O my mind, the treasure is deep within you, do not search for it on the outside.

one must worship by ,gifts of food sacred to gods and manes, but one must avoid those who are different.

Let him exert himself to the utmost in order to increase his property in a righteous manner, and let him zealously give food to all created beings.

Let him gently pour out the remainder of the water near the cakes, and, with fixed attention, smell those cakes, in the order in which they were placed on the ground .

Let him not blow a fire with his mouth, let him not look at a naked woman, let him not throw any impure substance into the fire, and let him not warm his feet at it.

Single is each being born, single it dies, single it enjoys ,the reward of its virtue, single ,it suffers the punishment of its sin.

Since that ,time the virtuous censure that ,man who in his folly appoints a woman, whose husband died, to ,bear children ,to another man .

For the wickedness of evil minded thieves, who secretly prowl over this earth, cannot be restrained except by punishment.

He must be acquainted with the ,proper , wages of servants, with the various languages of men, with the manner of keeping goods, and ,the rules of purchase and sale.

Having detected them by means of trustworthy persons, who, disguising themselves, ,pretend to follow the same occupations and by means of spies, wearing various disguises, he must cause them to be instigated ,to commit offences , and bring them into his power.

I will fully declare what result the giver obtains after death, if he gives food, destined for the gods or manes, to a man who is unworthy to sit in the company.

Nanak knows this Truth, that the Lord is not separate from His Saints.

Those who are appointed to guard provinces and his vassals who have been ordered ,to help , he shall speedily punish like thieves, ,if they remain inactive in attacks ,by robbers .

Those humble beings engage in the Lord s trade, who have the jewel of such pre ordained destiny upon their foreheads.

Those who worship in adoration the Name of the Lord, their pain, doubt and fear are dispelled.

Throughout the ages, know Him as the One.

During fifteen years the manes do not eat ,the food of that man who disdains a ,freely offered gift , nor does the fire carry his offerings ,to the gods .

Very fortunate is that bride who focuses her consciousness on Him, her Lord s Love is so sweet to her.

The ornaments which may have been worn by women during their husbands lifetime, his heirs shall not divide, those who divide them become outcasts.

A son whom a damsel secretly bears in the house of her father, one shall name the son of an unmarried damsel and declare such offspring of an unmarried girl ,to belong to him who weds her ,afterwards .

You shall enjoy your Husband Lord forever, O perishable bride, and obtain an abode in the home of your own inner being.

If one marries, either knowingly or unknowingly, a pregnant ,bride , the child in her womb belongs to him who weds her, and is called ,a son received with the bride .

Then having caused the crimes, which they committed by their several actions, to be proclaimed in accordance with the facts, the king shall duly punish them according to their strength and their crimes.

By the means of clever reformed thieves, who associate with such ,rogues , follow them and know their various machinations, he must detect and destroy them.

By the destiny written upon their foreheads, they become truly unattached, and by reflective meditation, they are imbued with Truth.

I place the saddle on the body horse, the saddle of realization of the Good Lord.

All those also who in villages give food to thieves or grant them room for ,concealing their implements , he shall cause to be put to death.

The Husband Lord is delightful and forever young, night and day, He embellishes His bride.

A just king shall not cause a thief to be put to death, ,unless taken with the stolen goods ,in his possession , him who ,is taken with the stolen goods and the implements ,of burglary , he may, without hesitation, cause to be slain.

That soul bride who is adorned with Truth is imbued with her Lord s Love, in peace and poise.

Those two creatures, who are born of wives of other men, cause to the giver the loss of the rewards , both in this life and after death, for the food sacred to gods or manes which has been given to them .

We are born of woman, we are conceived in the womb of woman, we are engaged and married to woman. We make friendship with woman and the lineage continued because of woman. When one woman dies, we take another one, we are bound with the world through woman. Why should we talk ill of her, who gives birth to kings? The woman is born from woman; there is none without her. Only the One True Lord is without woman

As fragrance abides in the flower As reflection is within the mirror, So does your Lord abide within you, Why search for him without?

Only fools argue whether to eat meat or not. They don't understand truth nor do they meditate on it. Who can define what is meat and what is plant Who knows where the sin lies, being a vegetarian or a non vegetarian

Do not wish evil for others. Do not speak ill of others. Do not obstruct anyones activities.

With your hands carve out your own destiny.

The world is a drama, staged in a dream

Before becoming a Muslim, a Hindu, a Sikh or a Christian, let's become a Human first.

Those who have loved are those that have found God

Conquer your mind and conquer the world.

From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all.

Burn worldly love, rub the ashes and make ink of it, make the heart the pen, the intellect the writer, write that which has no end or limit.

I don't die... He who is merged with the omnipresent is never gone.

Dwell in peace in the home of your own being, and the Messenger of Death will not be able to touch you.

False is the body, false are the clothes; false is beauty.

I am neither male nor female, nor am I sexless. I am the Peaceful One, whose form is self-effulgent, powerful radiance.

The True One was there from time immemorial. He is there today and ever there you will find. He never died nor will he ever die. ... Look within, you will see Him there enshrined.

Yet in a kingdom containing seven constituent parts, which is upheld like the triple staff ,of an ascetic , there is no ,single part more important ,than the others , by reason of the importance of the qualities of each for the others.

Those who conquer their minds are beings of renunciation and detachment. They are beings of renunciation and detachment they are lovingly focused on the True One, they realize and understand themselves.

Speak only that which will bring you honor.

See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own mind, and conquer the world.

The highest religion is to rise to universal brother hood; aye to consider all creatures your equals.

There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, he is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning, He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True, He is also True now.

But for disloyalty to her husband a wife is censured among men, and ,in her next life she is born in the womb of a jackal and tormented by diseases, the punishment of her sin.

...Build the raft of meditation and self-discipline, to carry you across the river. There will be no ocean, and no rising tides to stop you; this is how comfortable your path shall be....

God is one, but he has innumerable forms. He is the creator of all and He himself takes the human form.

If an appointed daughter by accident dies without ,leaving a son, the husband of the appointed daughter may, without hesitation, take that estate.

The word is the Guru, The Guru is the Word, For all nectar is enshrined in the world Blessed is the word which reveal the Lord's name But more is the one who knows by the Guru's grace.

He who, having lost his parents or being abandoned, by them without ,just cause, gives himself to a ,man , is called a son self given.

When the purpose of the appointment to ,cohabit with the widow bas been attained in accordance with the law, those two shall behave towards each other like a father and a daughter in law.

Blessed, blessed is that body horse which meditates on the Lord God.

My mind and body, my mind and body I cut my body into pieces, and I dedicate these to Him.

Death would not be called bad, o people, if one knew how to truly die.

The Formless Supreme Being abides in the Realm of Eternity. Over His creation He casts His glance of grace. In that Realm are contained all the continents and the universes, Exceeding in number all count. Of creation worlds upon worlds abide therein; All obedient to His will; He watches over them in bliss, And has each constantly in mind.

Even kings and emperors, with mountains of property and oceans of wealth - these are not even equal to an ant, who does not forget God.

May liberal men abound with us! May our knowledge of the Vedas and our progeny increase! May faith not forsake us! May we have much to give to the needy.

I am a song bird, I am a meek song bird, I offer my prayer to the Lord.

Let God's grace be the mosque, and devotion the prayer mat. Let the Quran be the good conduct. Let modesty be compassion, good manners fasting, you should be a Muslim the like of this. Let good deeds be your Kaaba and truth be your mentor. Your Kalma be your creed and prayer, God would then vindicate your honour.

...O my heart! Love God as the chatrik loves the rain drops, Who even when fountains are full and the land green, Is not satisfied as long as it cannot get a drop of rain...

As with cows, mares, female camels, slave girls, buffalo cows, she goats, and ewes, it is not the begetter ,or his owner who obtains the offspring, even thus ,it is with the wives of others.

I am in constant bliss, day and night, egotism has been dispelled from within me.

Like the juggler, deceiving by his tricks, one is deluded by egotism, falsehood and illusion.

If one of the brothers, being able ,to maintain himself by his own occupation, does not desire ,a share of the family property, he may be made separate ,by the others receiving a trifle out of his share to live upon.

For each and every person, our Lord and Master provides sustenance. Why are you so afraid, O mind? The flamingos fly hundreds of miles, leaving their young ones behind. Who feeds them, and who teaches them to feed themselves? Have you ever thought of this in your mind?

O Lord, You bless all with Your bountiful blessings.

Blessed, blessed is the True Guru, the Immaculate, Almighty Lord God, meeting Him, I meditate on the Name of the Lord.

Be kind to all beings, this is more meritorious than bathing at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage and donating money.

An adopted son shall never take the family, name and the estate of his natural father, the funeral cake follows the family, name and the estate, the funeral offerings of him who gives ,his son in adoption cease, as far as that son is concerned.

Excluded from all fellowship at meals, excluded from all sacrifices, excluded from instruction and from matrimonial alliances, abject and excluded from all religious duties, let them wander over ,this earth.

Giving no pain to any creature, let him slowly accumulate spiritual merit, for the sake ,of acquiring a companion to the next world, just as the white ant ,gradually raises its hill.

Emotional attachment to Maya is totally painful, this is a bad bargain.

Those who have not obtained the Blessed Vision, the Blessed Vision of the Darshan of the True Guru, the Almighty Lord God they have fruitlessly, uselessly wasted their whole lives in vain.

Neither ancients nor moderns who were good men have done such ,a deed that, after promising ,a daughter to one man, they have her to another, Nor, indeed, have we heard, even in former creations, of such ,a thing as the covert sale of a daughter for a fixed price, called a nuptial fee.

Make of the Silence your to-do tasks, of the compassion your wealth and of the meditation your beggar's bowl.