What we have made of you!

-Prof. Pritam Singh Grewal

You were the Sun, O Nanak, the Guru,
the Sun of Light, Love and Logic.
Light to dispel our ignorance
Love to link humans, God and nature
Logic to balance the ideal and the real.

But we the dwellers of ego-caves
in the wilderness of Maya’s illusion
knew not what to make of your rays
with myopic eyes we gazed
but withdrew to the caves dazed
where we wove the veils of myth
to cover our drowsy intellect
lest your rays should rouse it.

You were a mirror, O Nanak,
the mirror to ever glass
the blend of truth and beauty,
the eternal spectacle of Naam;
the cosmic vision of wonder,
the artless image of art,
the timeless flow of time
and infinite expanse of space.

But when we used this mirror,
the sight in it we couldn’t bear
it wasn’t we thought it ought to be
So overwhelmed were we to see
that our very being began to shake
and the mirror fell to break in shards
each one picked one’s piece of choice
calling it the best in strident voice.

You were a man, O Nanak,
The man of word and deed
of five elements in flesh and blood
as in the bani you have said
and as a bard of God you led
a life of service and truthfulness
a living model of human glory.

What you said you did
to make us learn and do,
but we the lovers of lethargy
and loyal slaves of charade
made a god of you
all against your wishes too!
So that now
we need not listen to what you said
nor your blazed path to tread
instead of listening, we only bow
to follow you we can easily avoid
as we are human, you were a god.
(15 November 2005)