CONTD FROM Vol 7 ISSUE 23 || 1 || Pause || Joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, I gained perfect control over my senses. Ever since I rid myself of my self-conceit, my sufferings have ended. He has showered His Mercy upon me. The Creator Lord has preserved my honor, O my mind. || 1 || Know that this is the only peace; accept whatever the Lord does. No one is bad. Become the dust of the Feet of the Saints. He Himself preserves those who taste the Ambrosial Nectar of the Lord, O my mind.

|| 2 || One who has no one to call his own – God belongs to him. God knows the state of our innermost being. He knows everything. Please, Lord, save the sinners. This is Nanak’s prayer, O my mind. || 3 || 6 || 162 || AASAAVAREE, FIFTH MEHL, IK-TUKAS: O my stranger soul, listen to the call. || 1 || Pause || Whatever you are attached to, you shall have to leave it all behind. These things seem like only a dream, to one who takes the Lord’s Name.

|| 1 || Forsaking the Lord, and clinging to another, they run toward death and reincarnation. But those humble beings, who attach themselves to the Lord, Har, Har, continue to live. One who is blessed with the Lord’s Mercy, O Nanak, becomes His devotee. || 2 || 7 || 163 || 232 || ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: RAAG AASAA, NINTH MEHL: Who should I tell the condition of the mind? Engrossed in greed, running around in the ten directions, you hold to your hopes of wealth. || 1 || Pause || For the sake of pleasure, you suffer such great pain, and you have to serve each and every person. You wander from door to door like a dog, unconscious of the Lord’s meditation.

|| 1 || You lose this human life in vain, and You are not even ashamed when others laugh at you. O Nanak, why not sing the Lord’s Praises, so that you may be rid of the body’s evil disposition? || 2 || 1 || 233 || RAAG AASAA, FIRST MEHL, ASHTAPADEES, SECOND HOUSE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: He descends the treacherous precipice, to bathe in the cleansing pool; without speaking or saying anything, he sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord. Like water vapor in the sky, he remains absorbed in the Lord. He churns the true pleasures to obtain the supreme nectar.

|| 1 || Listen to such spiritual wisdom, O my mind. The Lord is totally pervading and permeating all places. || 1 || Pause || One who makes Truthfulness his fast and religious vows, does not suffer the pain of death. Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, he burns away his anger. He dwells in the Tenth Gate, immersed in the Samaadhi of deep meditation. Touching the philosopher’s stone, he obtains the supreme status.

|| 2 || For the benefit of the mind, churn the true essence of reality; bathing in the over-flowing tank of nectar, filth is washed away.We become like the One with whom we are imbued. Whatever the Creator does, comes to pass. || 3 || The Guru is cool and soothing like ice; He puts out the fire of the mind. Smear your body with the ashes of dedicated service, and live in the home of peace – make this your religious order. Let the Immaculate Bani of the Word be your playing of the flute. || 4 || Spiritual wisdom within is the supreme, sublime nectar. Contemplation of the Guru is one’s bathing at holy places of pilgrimage. Worship and adoration within is the Lord’s dwelling. He is the One who blends one’s light with the Divine Light.

|| 5 || He delights in the delightful wisdom of loving the One Lord. He is one of the selfelect – he merges with the Lord, who occupies the throne. He performs his works in obedience to the Will of his Lord and Master. The Unknowable Lord cannot be understood. || 6 || The lotus originates in the water, and yet it remains distinct from the water. Just so, the Divine Light pervades and permeates the water of the world. Who is near, and who is far away? I sing the Glories of the Lord, the treasure of virtue; I behold Him everpresent. || 7 || Inwardly and outwardly, there is none other than Him. Whatever pleases Him, comes to pass. Listen, O Bharthari Yogi – Nanak speaks after deliberation; the Immaculate Name is my only Support.

|| 8 || 1 || AASAA, FIRST MEHL: All meditation, all austerities, and all clever tricks, lead one to wander in the wilderness, but he does not find the Path. Without understanding, he is not approved; without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, ashes are thrown upon one’s head. || 1 || True is the Master; the world comes and goes. The mortal is emancipated, as Gurmukh, as the Lord’s slave. || 1 || Pause || The world is bound by its attachments to the many desires. Through the Guru’s Teachings, some become free of desire. Within them is the Naam, and their heart lotus blossoms forth. They have no fear of death.

|| 2 || The men of the world are conquered by woman; they love the ladies. Attached to children and wife, they forget the Naam. They waste this human life in vain, and lose the game in the gamble. Serving the True Guru is the best occupation. || 3 || One who speaks egotistically in public, never attains liberation within. One who burns away his attachment to Maya, by the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, meditates forever within his heart on the Immaculate Naam.

|| 4 || He restrains his wandering mind, and keeps it under control. The company of such a Sikh is obtained only by Grace. Without the Guru, he goes astray and continues coming and going. Bestowing His Mercy, the Lord unites him in Union. || 5 || I cannot describe the Beauteous Lord. I speak the unspoken; I cannot estimate His value. All pain and pleasure come by Your Will. All pain is eradicated by the True Name. || 6 || He plays the instrument without hands, and dances without feet. But if he understands the Word of the Shabad, then he shall behold the True Lord. With the True Lord within the self, all happiness comes. Showering His Mercy, the Preserving Lord preserves him.

|| 7 || He understands the three worlds; he eliminates his self-conceit. He understands the Bani of the Word, and he is absorbed into the True Lord. Contemplating the Shabad, he enshrines love for the One Lord. O Nanak, blessed is the Lord, the Embellisher. || 8 || 2 || AASAA, FIRST MEHL: There are innumerable writings; those who write them take pride in them. When one’s mind accepts the Truth, he understands, and speaks of it. Words, spoken and read again and again, are useless loads. There are innumerable writings, but the Infinite Lord remains unwritten.

|| 1 || Know that such a True Lord is the One and only. Understand that birth and death come according to the Lord’s Will. || 1 || Pause || Because of attachment to Maya, the world is bound by the Messenger of Death. These bonds are released when one remembers the Naam, the Name of the Lord. The Guru is the Giver of peace; do not look for any other. In this world, and the next, He shall stand by you. || 2 || One who dies in the Word of the Shabad, embraces love for the One Lord.

One who eats the uneatable, has his doubts dispelled. He is Jivan Mukta – liberated while yet alive; the Naam abides in his mind. Becoming Gurmukh, he merges into the True Lord. || 3 || The One who created the earth and the Akaashic ethers of the sky, established all; He establishes and disestablishes. He Himself is permeating all. He does not consult anyone; He Himself forgives. || 4 || You are the Ocean, over-flowing with jewels and rubies. You are immaculate and pure, the true treasure of virtue. Peace is enjoyed, meeting the Guru, the Spiritual Teacher. The Lord is the only Master; He is the only Minister. || 5 || The world is held in bondage; he alone is emancipated, who conquers his ego. How rare in the world is that wise person, who practices this. How rare in this world is that scholar who reflects upon this. Without meeting the True Guru, all wander in ego. || 6 || The world is unhappy; only a few are happy. The world is diseased, from its indulgences; it weeps over its lost virtue. The world wells up, and then subsides, losing its honor.

He alone, who becomes Gurmukh, understands. || 7 || His price is so costly; His weight is unbearable. He is immovable and undeceivable; enshrine Him in your mind, through the Guru’s Teachings. Meet Him through love, become pleasing to Him, and act in fear of Him. Nanak the lowly says this, after deep contemplation. || 8 || 3 || AASAA, FIRST MEHL: When someone dies, the five passions meet and mourn his death. Overcoming self-conceit, he washes off his filth with the Word of the Shabad. One who knows and understands, enters the home of peace and poise. Without understanding, he loses all his honor.

|| 1 || Who dies, and who weeps for him? O Lord, Creator, Cause of causes, You are over the heads of all. || 1 || Pause || Who weeps over the pain of the dead? Those who weep, do so over their own troubles. God knows the condition of those who are so affected. Whatever the Creator does, comes to pass. || 2 || One who remains dead while yet alive, is saved, and saves others as well. Celebrate the Victory of the Lord; taking to His Sanctuary, the supreme status is obtained. I am a sacrifice to the feet of the True Guru. The Guru is the boat; through the Shabad of His Word, the terrifying world-ocean is crossed over.

|| 3 || He Himself is Fearless; His Divine Light is contained in all. Without the Name, the world is defiled and untouchable. Through evil-mindedness, they are ruined; why should they cry out and weep? They are born only to die, without hearing the music of devotional worship. || 4 || Only one’s true friends mourn one’s death. Those under the sway of the three dispositions continue to mourn on and on. Disregarding pain and pleasure, center your consciousness on the Lord.

Dedicate your body and mind to the Love of the Lord. || 5 || The One Lord dwells within the various and countless beings. There are so many rituals and religious faiths, their number is innumerable. Without the Fear of God, and devotional worship, one’s life is in vain. Singing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, the supreme wealth is obtained. || 6 || He Himself dies, and He Himself kills. He Himself establishes, and having established, disestablishes.

He created the Universe, and by His Divine Nature, instilled His Divine Light into it. One who reflects upon the Word of the Shabad, meets the Lord, without doubt. || 7 || Pollution is the burning fire, which is consuming the world. Pollution is in the water, upon the land, and everywhere. O Nanak, people are born and die in pollution. By Guru’s Grace, they drink in the Lord’s sublime elixir.
To be Continued