“Nanakji”, said Shah Rukandi to Nanak, “tell me something concerning God.”
“[The will of] God has been fulfilled, Shahji,” [replied Baba Nanak].
“You are a great [saint],” [continued Shah Rukandi], “one near to and beloved of God. I have been blessed and honored in meeting one who is beloved of God. We have met God [here] in our very midst!”
Then Baba [Nanak], taking alef, be, [and the other letters of the alphabet in turn] recited the Tih Sipāre.
Sipāre
alef
Remember Allah and banish indolence from your heart.
If one draws breath without [remembering] the divine Name life in this world is futile.
1. be
Cast aside infidelity and follow the Shari’ at.
Humble yourself before all; speak ill of none.
2. te
Repent with a sincere heart lest you should regret [your folly] Consider what your plight will be when your body perishes and your countenance is no more.
3. se
Offer abundant praises (to the Lord); let not a breath pass without [praising Him].
Any other activity is a fruitless endeavor.
4. jim
Earn merit by keeping the company [of the holy] and so prepare for your departure (from this life).
Without your Master you will forever [wander] in darkness.
5. he
Cleave to humility; banish desire from your heart.
Control your wayward thoughts, O Rukandi; with every breath [remember] the Creator Lord.
6. khe
Treacherous are they who have forgotten the Creator.
Engrossed in maya they heap upon [their] heads a burden [of sin].
7. dāl
Follow virtue, O [my] man, and sleep not day nor night.
Throughout one watch of the night remain wakeful and utter the praises [of God].
8. zāl
Humbly recite [His Name, for] the Lord disdains [the careless].
He [the Almighty] acts as He chooses; none [there be] who can thwart Him.
9. re
Do you wish to behold the path of faith?
Control the five (evil impulses), O Rukandi and fasten your attention (wholly) upon the Lord.
10. ze
Know that you must cry [for mercy]: forget not the Lord.
Thus you shall be spared regrets; your man shall be set free from covetousness.
11. sin
Cleanse your man, [for] within you dwells the Lord.[Your] body is a vessel, skillfully designed and permeated [by the divine Presence].
12. shin
Obtain martyrdom by dying in [the ecstasy of] mystical union.
Seek God, O Rukandi, for this mortal flesh will not remain.
13. sād
Let the praises of Muhammed be upon your lips; utter endless [blessings upon him].[God] created him a chosen servant, and predestined him to be [man’s] best friend.
14. zād
To err and stray has become your only pattern of life.
By constantly following this way you miss the secret [of salvation].
15. ta
Seek the blessing [of God]; in union [with Him is true] life.
All sorrow depart when we behold those who have cut through the net of māyā.
16. za
The [real] tyrants are they who do not remember the divine Name.
How can they find rest without their Lord?
17. ain
If one wishes to acquire [merit] then let him perform [good] deeds.
Without [good] deeds there can be no merit—only regret at the time of death.
18. gain
He is [truly] rich, O Rukandi, who was comprehended his true nature.
Within this human frame dwells [the one who is wholly free, He the unborn) who has neither mother nor father. 19.
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