Who can sing His attributes, His greatness, and His deeds? [1]
Who can sing His knowledge whose study is arduous ?
Who can sing Him, who fashioneth the body and again destroyeth it ?
Who can sing Him, who taketh away life and again restoreth it ?
Who can sing Him, who appeareth to be far, but is known to be near.
Who can sing Him, who is all-seeing and omnipresent ? [2]
In describing Him there would never be an end.
Millions of men give millions upon millions of descriptions of Him, but they fail to describe Him.
The Giver giveth ; the receiver groweth weary of receiving.
In every age man subsisteth by His bounty.
The Commander by His order hath laid out the way of the world.
Nanak, God the unconcerned is happy.
IV
True is the Lord, true is His name ; it is uttered with endless love. [3]
People pray and beg, 'Give us, give us' ; the Giver giveth His gifts ;
Then what can we offer Him whereby His court may be seen ?
What words shall we utter with our lips, on hearing which He may love us ?
At the ambrosial hour of morning meditate on the true Name and God's greatness.
- ↑ Chār is understood to be a contracted form of achār. Some translate the word excellent, and make it an epithet of wadiāi.
- ↑ This and the preceding lines of this pauri are also translated -
Some sing His power according to their abilities ;
Some sing His gifts according to their knowledge of His signs ;
Some sing His attributes, His greatness, and His deeds;
Some sing His knowledge whose study is arduous ;
Some sing that He fashioneth the body and again destroyeth it ;
Some that He taketh away the soul and again restoreth it ;
Some that He appeareth far from mortal gaze ;
Some that He is all-seeing and omnipresent. - ↑ Also translated - His attributes are described in endless languages.
