Year: 2014

CONTD FROM Vol 8 ISSUE 40

|| 4 || 4 || 54 || SORAT’H, FIFTH I found the Guru, the ocean of peace, and all my doubts were dispelled. || 1 || This is the glorious greatness of the Naam. Twenty-four hours a day, I sing His Glorious Praises. I obtained this from the Perfect Guru. || Pause || God’s sermon is inexpressible. His humble servants speak words of Ambrosial Nectar. Slave Nanak has spoken. Through the Perfect Guru, it is known.

|| 2 || 2 || 66 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Guru has blessed me with peace here, and the Guru has arranged peace and pleasure for me hereafter. I have all treasures and comforts, meditating on the Guru in my heart. || 1 || This is the glorious greatness of my True Guru; I have obtained the fruits of my mind’s desires. O Saints, His Glory increases day by day. || Pause || All beings and creatures have become kind and compassionate to me; my God has made them so. Nanak has met with the Lord of the world with intuitive ease, and with Truth, he is pleased.

|| 2 || 3 || 67 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Word of the Guru’s Shabad is my Saving Grace. It is a guardian posted on all four sides around me. My mind is attached to the Lord’s Name. The Messenger of Death has run away in shame. || 1 || O Dear Lord, You are my Giver of peace. The Perfect Lord, the Architect of Destiny, has shattered my bonds, and made my mind immaculately pure. || Pause || O Nanak, God is eternal and imperishable. Service to Him shall never go unrewarded. Your slaves are in bliss; chanting and meditating, their desires are fulfilled.

|| 2 || 4 || 68 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: I am a sacrifice to my Guru. He has totally preserved my honor. I have obtained the fruits of my mind’s desires. I meditate forever on my God. || 1 || O Saints, without Him, there is no other at all. He is God, the Cause of causes. || Pause || My God has given me His Blessing. He has made all creatures subject to me. Servant Nanak meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and all his sorrows depart.

|| 2 || 5 || 69 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Perfect Guru has dispelled the fever. The unstruck melody of the sound current resounds. God has bestowed all comforts. In His Mercy, He Himself has given them. || 1 || The True Guru Himself has eradicated the disease. All the Sikhs and Saints are filled with joy, meditating on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. || Pause || They obtain that which they ask for. God gives to His Saints. God saved Hargobind. Servant Nanak speaks the Truth.

|| 2 || 6 || 70 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: You make me do what pleases You. I have no cleverness at all. I am just a child – I seek Your Protection. God Himself preserves my honor. || 1 || The Lord is my King; He is my mother and father. In Your Mercy, You cherish me; I do whatever You make me do. || Pause || The beings and creatures are Your creation. O God, their reins are in Your hands. Whatever You cause us to do, we do. Nanak, Your slave, seeks Your Protection.

|| 2 || 7 || 71 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: I have woven the Lord’s Name into the fabric of my heart. All my affairs are resolved. His mind is attached to God’s feet, whose destiny is perfect. || 1 || Joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, I meditate on the Lord. Twenty-four hours a day, I worship and adore the Lord, Har, Har; I have obtained the fruits of my mind’s desires. || Pause || The seeds of my past actions have sprouted. My mind is attached to the Lord’s Name. My mind and body are absorbed into the Blessed Vision of the Lord’s Darshan. Slave Nanak sings the Glorious Praises of the True Lord.

|| 2 || 8 || 72 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Meeting with the Guru, I contemplate God. All of my affairs have been resolved. No one speaks ill of me. Everyone congratulates me on my victory. || 1 || O Saints, I seek the True Sanctuary of the Lord and Master. All beings and creatures are in His hands; He is God, the Inner-knower, the Searcher of hearts. || Pause || He has resolved all of my affairs. God has confirmed His innate nature. God’s Name is the Purifier of sinners. Servant Nanak is forever a sacrifice to Him.

|| 2 || 9 || 73 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Supreme Lord God created and embellished him. The Guru has saved this small child. So celebrate and be happy, father and mother. The Transcendent Lord is the Giver of souls. || 1 || Your slaves, O Lord, focus on pure thoughts. You preserve the honor of Your slaves, and You Yourself arrange their affairs. || Pause || My God is so benevolent. His Almighty Power is manifest. Nanak has come to His Sanctuary. He has obtained the fruits of his mind’s desires.

|| 2 || 10 || 74 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Forever and ever, I chant the Lord’s Name. God Himself has saved my child. He healed him from the smallpox. My troubles have been removed through the Lord’s Name. || 1 || My God is forever Merciful. He heard the prayer of His devotee, and now all beings are kind and compassionate to him. || Pause || God is Almighty, the Cause of causes. Remembering the Lord in meditation, all pains and sorrows vanish. He has heard the prayer of His slave. O Nanak, now everyone sleeps in peace.

|| 2 || 11 || 75 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: I meditated on my Guru. I met with Him, and returned home in joy. This is the glorious greatness of the Naam. Its value cannot be estimated. || 1 || O Saints, worship and adore the Lord, Har, Har, Har.Worship the Lord in adoration, and you shall obtain everything; your affairs shall all be resolved. || Pause || He alone is attached in loving devotion to God, who realizes his great destiny. Servant Nanak meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. He obtains the rewards of all joys and peace.

|| 2 || 12 || 76 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Transcendent Lord has given me His support. The house of pain and disease has been demolished. The men and women celebrate. The Lord God, Har, Har, has extended His Mercy. || 1 || O Saints, there is peace everywhere. The Supreme Lord God, the Perfect Transcendent Lord, is pervading everywhere. || Pause || The Bani of His Word emanated from the Primal Lord. It eradicates all anxiety. The Lord is merciful, kind and compassionate. Nanak chants the Naam, the Name of the True Lord.

|| 2 || 13 || 77 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Here and hereafter, He is our Savior. God, the True Guru, is Merciful to the meek. He Himself protects His slaves. In each and every heart, the Beautiful Word of His Shabad resounds. || 1 || I am a sacrifice to the Guru’s Feet. Day and night, with each and every breath, I remember Him; He is totally pervading and permeating all places. || Pause || He Himself has become my help and support. True is the support of the True Lord. Glorious and great is devotional worship to You. Nanak has found God’s Sanctuary.

|| 2 || 14 || 78 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: When it was pleasing to the Perfect True Guru, then I chanted the Naam, the Name of the Pervading Lord. The Lord of the Universe extended His Mercy to me, and God saved my honor. || 1 || The Lord’s feet are forever peace-giving. Whatever fruit one desires, he receives; his hopes shall not go in vain. || 1 || Pause || That Saint, unto whom the Lord of Life, the Great Giver, extends His Mercy – he alone sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord. His soul is absorbed in loving devotional worship; his mind is pleasing to the Supreme Lord God.

|| 2 || Twenty-four hours a day, he chants the Praises of the Lord, and the bitter poison does not affect him. My Creator Lord has united me with Himself, and the Holy Saints have become my companions. || 3 || Taking me by the hand, He has given me everything, and blended me with Himself. Says Nanak, everything has been perfectly resolved; I have found the Perfect True Guru.

|| 4 || 15 || 79 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Humility is my spiked club. My dagger is to be the dust of all men’s feet. No evil-doer can withstand these weapons. The Perfect Guru has given me this understanding. || 1 || The Name of the Lord, Har, Har, is the support and shelter of the Saints. One who remembers the Lord in meditation, is emancipated; millions have been saved in this way. || 1 || Pause || In the Society of the Saints, I sing His Praises. I have found this, the perfect wealth of the Lord. Says Nanak, I have eradicated my self-conceit. I see the Supreme Lord God everywhere.

|| 2 || 16 || 80 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Perfect Guru has done it perfectly. He blessed me with forgiveness. I have found lasting peace and bliss. Everywhere, the people dwell in peace. || 1 || Devotional worship to the Lord is what gives rewards. The Perfect Guru, by His Grace, gave it to me; how rare are those who know this. || Pause || Sing the Word of the Guru’s Bani, O Siblings of Destiny. That is always rewarding and peace-giving. Nanak has meditated on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. He has realized his pre-ordained destiny.

|| 2 || 17 || 81 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: I worship and adore the Perfect Guru. All my affairs have been resolved. All desires have been fulfilled. The unstruck melody of the sound current resounds. || 1 || O Saints, meditating on the Lord, we obtain peace. In the home of the Saints, celestial peace is pervading; all pain and suffering is dispelled. || 1 || Pause || The Word of the Perfect Guru’s Bani is pleasing to the Mind of the Supreme Lord God. Slave Nanak speaks the Unspoken, immaculate sermon of the Lord.

|| 2 || 18 || 82 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The hungry man is not ashamed to eat. Just so, the humble servant of the Lord sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord. || 1 || Why are you so lazy in your own affairs? Remembering Him in meditation, your face shall be radiant in the Court of the Lord; you shall find peace, forever and ever. || 1 || Pause || Just as the lustful man is enticed by lust, so is the Lord’s slave pleased with the Lord’s Praise.

|| 2 || Just as the mother holds her baby close, so does the spiritual person cherish the Naam, the Name of the Lord. || 3 || This is obtained from the Perfect Guru. Servant Nanak meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. || 4 || 19 || 83 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Safe and sound, I have returned home. The slanderer’s face is blackened with ashes. The Perfect Guru has dressed in robes of honor. All my pains and sufferings are over.

|| 1 || O Saints, this is the glorious greatness of the True Lord. He has created such wonder and glory! || 1 || Pause || I speak according to the Will of my Lord and Master. God’s slave chants the Word of His Bani. O Nanak, God is the Giver of peace. He has created the perfect creation.

|| 2 || 20 || 84 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Within my heart, I meditate on God. I have returned home safe and sound. The world has become contented. The Perfect Guru has saved me. || 1 || O Saints, my God is forever merciful. The Lord of the world does not call His devotee to account; He protects His children. || 1 || Pause || I have enshrined the Lord’s Name within my heart. He has resolved all my affairs. The Perfect Guru was pleased, and blessed me, and now, Nanak shall never again suffer pain.

TO BE CONTINUED

contined from vol 8 issue 37

Listen, Sita, unto Bharat speak no heedless angry word,
He is monarch of Kosala and of Raghu’s race is lord,
Crownéd kings our willing service and our faithful duty own,
Dearest song they disinherit, cherish strangers near the throne! Bharat’s will with deep devotion and with faultless faith obey, Truth and virtue on thy bosom ever hold their gentle sway,
And to please each dear relation, gentle Sita,
be it thine, Part we love! for years of wand’ring in the pathless woods is mine!” Rama spake,
and soft-eyed Sita, ever sweet in speech and word,
Stirred by loving woman’s passion boldly answered thus her lord: “Do I hear my husband rightly,
are these words my Rama spake, And her banished lord and husband will the wedded wife forsake? Lightly I dismiss the counsel which my lord hath lightly said For it ill beseems a warrior and my husband’s princely grade;
For the faithful woman follows where her wedded lord may lead, In the banishment of Rama, Sita’s exile is decreed, Sire nor son nor loving brother rules the wedded woman’s state,
With her lord she falls or rises, with her consort courts her fate,
If the righteous son of Raghu wends to forests dark and drear,
Sita steps before her husband wild and thorny path to clear! Like the tasted refuse water cast thy timid thoughts aside, Take me to the pathless jungle, bid me by my lord abide,
Car and steed and gilded palace, vain are these to woman’s life,
Dearer is her husband’s shadow to the loved and loving wife! For my mother often taught me and my father often spake, That her home the wedded woman doth beside her husband make,
As the shadow to the substance, to her lord is faithful wife,
And she parts not from her consort till she parts with fleeting life! Therefore bid me seek the jungle and in pathless forests roam,
Where the wild deer freely ranges and the tiger makes his home, Happier than in father’s mansions in the woods will Sita rove, Waste no thought on home or kindred,
nestling in her husband’s love! World-renowned is Rama’s valour,
fearless by her Rama’s side, Sita will still live and wander with a faithful woman’s pride, And the wild fruit she will gather from the fresh and fragrant wood,
And the food by Rama tasted shall be Sita’s cherished food! Bid me seek the sylvan greenwoods,
wooded hills and plateaus high, Limpid rills and crystal nullas as they softly ripple by,
And where in the lake of lotus tuneful ducks their plumage lave,
Let me with my loving Rama skim the cool translucent wave! Years will pass in happy union,–happiest lot to woman given,– Sita seeks not throne or empire, nor the brighter joys of heaven,
Heaven conceals not brighter mansions in its sunny fields of pride,
Where without her lord and husband faithful Sita would reside! Therefore let me seek the jungle where the jungle-rangers rove, Dearer than the royal palace,
where I share my husband’s love,
And my heart in sweet communion shall my Rama’s wishes share, And my wifely toil shall lighten Rama’s load of woe and care!” Vainly gentle Rama pleaded dangers of the jungle life,
Vainly spake of toil and trial to a true and tender wife!

BROTHER’S FAITHFULNESS

Tears bedewed the face of Lakshman as he heard what Sita, said, And he touched the feet of Rama and in gentle accents prayed: “If my elder and his lady to the pathless forests wend,
Armed with bow and ample quiver Lakshman will on them attend, Where the wild deer range the forest and the lordly tuskers roam,
And the bird of gorgeous plumage nestles in its jungle home, Dearer far to me those woodlands where my elder Rama dwells, Than the homes of bright Immortals where perennial bliss prevails! Grant me then thy sweet permission,– faithful to thy glorious star,
Lakshman,shall not wait and tarry when his Rama wanders far, Grant me then thyloving mandate,– Lakshman hath no wish to stay,
None shall bar the faithful younger when the elder leads the way!” “Ever true to deeds of virtue, duteous brother, faithful friend, Dearer than his life to Rama, thou shall not to forests wend, Who shall stay by Queen Kausalya, Lakshman, if we both depart,
Who shall stay by Queen Sumitra, she who nursed thee on her heart? For the king our aged father, he who ruled the earth and main, Is a captive to Kaikeyi, fettered by her silken chain,
Little help Kaikeyi renders to our mothers in her pride, Little help can Bharat offer,
standing by his mother’s side. Thou alone can’st serve Kausalya when for distant woods I part,
When the memory of my exile rankles in her sorrowing heart,
Thou alone can’st serve Sumitra, soothe her sorrows with thy love,
Stay by them, my faithful Lakshman, and thy filial virtues prove,
Be this then they sacred duty, tend our mothers in their woe,
Little joy or consolation have they left on earth below!” Spake the hero: “Fear no evil, well is Rama’s prowess known, And to mighty Rama’s mother Bharat will obeisance own,
Nathless if the pride of empire sways him from the righteous path, Blood will venge the offered insult and will quench our filial wrath! But a thousand peopled hamlets Queen Kausalya’s hests obey,
And a thousand arméd champions own her high and queenly sway, Aye, a thousand village-centres Queen Sumitra’s state maintain,
And a thousand swords like Lakshman’s guard her proud and prosperous reign! All alone with gentle Sita thou shalt track thy darksome way,
Grant it, that thy faithful Lakshman shall protect her night and day, Grant it,
with his bow and quiver Lakshman shall the forests roam, And his axe shall fell the jungle,
and his hands shall rear the home! Grant it, in the deepest woodlands he shall seek the forest fruit,
Berries dear to holy hermits and the sweet and luscious root,
And whenwith thy meek-eyed Sita thou shalt seek the mountain crest, Grant it,
Lakshman ever duteous watch and guard thy nightly rest!”

TO BE CONTINUED