Page 151 - Train to Pakistan

He who made creatures of diverse kinds
With a multitude of names,
Made this the law—
By thought and deed be judged forsooth,

For God is True and dispenseth Truth.
There the elect his court adorn,

And God Himself their actions honours.
There are sorted deeds that were done and bore fruit,
From those that to action could never ripen.
This, O Nanak, shall hereafter happen.

Meet Singh shut the prayer book and again put it to his forehead. He began to
mumble the epilogue to the morning prayer:

Air, water and earth,

Of these are we made,
Air like the Guru’s word gives the breath of life
To the babe born of the great mother Earth

Sired by the waters.

His voice tapered off to an inaudible whisper. Juggut Singh put back the fly
whisk and rubbed his forehead on the ground in front of the scripture.

‘Is that good?’ he asked naively.
‘All the Guru’s word is good,’ answered Meet Singh solemnly.
‘What does it mean?’

‘What have you to do with meaning? It is just the Guru’s word. If you are
going to do something good, the Guru will help you; if you are going to do
something bad, the Guru will stand in your way. If you persist in doing it, he will

punish you till you repent, and then forgive you.’
‘Yes, what will I do with the meaning? All right, Bhaiji. Sat Sri Akal.’
‘Sat Sri Akal.’

Jugga rubbed his forehead on the ground again and got up. He threaded his
way through the sleeping assembly and picked up his shoes. There was a light in
one of the rooms. Jugga looked in. He recognized the head with tousled hair on

the pillow. Iqbal was sleeping with the silver hip flask lying on his chest.
‘Sat Sri Akal, Babuji.’ he said softly. There was no reply. ‘Are you asleep?’
‘Do not disturb him,’ interrupted Meet Singh in a whisper. ‘He is not feeling