The Sikh Gurus never believed in the exclusivity of their teachings. The Gurus undertook travels to spread their message to peoples of different cultures in their own native languages. The Gurus did not believe in the ideas of any language being ‘sacred’ or ‘special’. It is in this spirit that various Sikh scholars have undertaken efforts to translate Sri Guru Granth Sahib into a number of languages in order to spread the teachings of the Gurus and to bring the Sikh religion to the people of the world as Guru Nanak wished.

“Enshrine the Lord’s Name within your heart. The Word of the Guru’s Bani prevails throughout the world; through this Bani, the Lord’s Name is obtained.”

|| 1 || Pause || His Value cannot be estimated; He is the Vast Ocean of Excellence. O most fortunate ones, join the Sangat, the Blessed Congregation; purchase the True Word of the Shabad. Serve the Lord, the Ocean of Peace, the Supreme Lord over kings and emperors. || 2 || I take the Support of the Lord’s Lotus Feet; there is no other place of rest for me. I lean upon You as my Support, O Supreme Lord God. I exist only by Your Power. O God, You are the Honor of the dishonored. I seek to merge with You.

|| 3 || Chant the Lord’s Name and contemplate the Lord of the World, twentyfour hours a day. He preserves our soul, our breath of life, body and wealth. By His Grace, He protects our soul. O Nanak, all pain has been washed away, by the Supreme Lord God, the Forgiver. || 4 || 12 || 82 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: I have fallen in love with the True Lord. He does not die, He does not come and go. In separation, He is not separated from us; He is pervading and permeating amongst all. He is the Destroyer of the pain and suffering of the meek.

He bears True Love for His servants. Wondrous is the Form of the Immaculate One. Through the Guru, I have met Him, O my mother! || 1 || O Siblings of Destiny, make God your Friend. Cursed is emotional attachment and love of Maya; no one is seen to be at peace. || 1 || Pause || God is Wise, Giving, Tender-hearted, Pure, Beautiful and Infinite. He is our Companion and Helper, Supremely Great, Lofty and Utterly Infinite. He is not known as young or old; His Court is Steady and Stable. Whatever we seek from Him, we receive. He is the Support of the unsupported.

|| 2 || Seeing Him, our evil inclinations vanish; mind and body become peaceful and tranquil. With one-pointed mind, meditate on the One Lord, and the doubts of your mind will be dispelled. He is the Treasure of Excellence, the Ever-fresh Being. His Gift is Perfect and Complete. Forever and ever, worship and adore Him. Day and night, do not forget Him. || 3 || One whose destiny is so pre-ordained, obtains the Lord of the Universe as his Companion.

I dedicate my body, mind, wealth and all to Him. I totally sacrifice my soul to Him. Seeing and hearing, He is always close at hand. In each and every heart, God is pervading. Even the ungrateful ones are cherished by God. O Nanak, He is forever the Forgiver. || 4 || 13 || 83 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: This mind, body and wealth were given by God, who naturally adorns us. He has blessed us with all our energy, and infused His Infinite Light deep within us. Forever and ever, meditate in remembrance on God; keep Him enshrined in your heart.

|| 1 || O my mind, without the Lord, there is no other at all. Remain in God’s Sanctuary forever, and no suffering shall afflict you. || 1 || Pause || Jewels, treasures, pearls, gold and silver – all these are just dust. Mother, father, children and relatives – all relations are false. The self-willed manmukh is an insulting beast; he does not acknowledge the One who created him. || 2 || The Lord is pervading within and beyond, and yet people think that He is far away. They are engrossed in clinging desires; within their hearts there is ego and falsehood. Without devotion to the Naam, crowds of people come and go.

|| 3 || Please preserve Your beings and creatures, God; O Creator Lord, please be merciful! Without God, there is no saving grace. The Messenger of Death is cruel and unfeeling. O Nanak, may I never forget the Naam! Please bless me with Your Mercy, Lord! || 4 || 14 || 84 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: “My body and my wealth; my ruling power, my beautiful form and country – mine!” You may have children, a wife and many mistresses; you may enjoy all sorts of pleasures and fine clothes.

And yet, if the Name of the Lord does not abide within the heart, none of it has any use or value. || 1 || O my mind, meditate on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. Always keep the Company of the Holy, and focus your consciousness on the Feet of the Guru. || 1 || Pause || Those who have such blessed destiny written on their foreheads meditate on the Treasure of the Naam.

All their affairs are brought to fruition, holding onto the Guru’s Feet. The diseases of ego and doubt are cast out; they shall not come and go in reincarnation. || 2 || Let the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, be your cleansing baths at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage. Your soul, breath of life, mind and body shall blossom forth in lush profusion; this is the true purpose of life.

In this world you shall be blessed with greatness, and in the Court of the Lord you shall find your place of rest. || 3 || God Himself acts, and causes others to act; everything is in His Hands. He Himself bestows life and death; He is with us, within and beyond. Nanak seeks the Sanctuary of God, the Master of all hearts. || 4 || 15 || 85 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: The Guru is Merciful; we seek the Sanctuary of God.

Through the Teachings of the True Guru, all worldly entanglements are eliminated. The Name of the Lord is firmly implanted within my mind; through His Ambrosial Glance of Grace, I am exalted and enraptured. || 1 || O my mind, serve the True Guru. God Himself grants His Grace; do not forget Him, even for an instant. || Pause || Continually sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe, the Destroyer of demerits. Without the Name of the Lord, there is no peace. Having tried all sorts of ostentatious displays, I have come to see this. Intuitively imbued with His Praises, one is saved, crossing over the terrifying world-ocean.

|| 2 || The merits of pilgrimages, fasts and hundreds of thousands of techniques of austere selfdiscipline are found in the dust of the feet of the Holy. From whom are you trying to hide your actions? God sees all; He is Everpresent. My God is totally pervading all places and interspaces. || 3 || True is His Empire, and True is His Command. True is His Seat of True Authority. True is the Creative Power which He has created. True is the world which He has fashioned. O Nanak, chant the True Name; I am forever and ever a sacrifice to Him.

|| 4 || 16 || 86 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: Make the effort, and chant the Lord’s Name. O very fortunate ones, earn this wealth. In the Society of the Saints, meditate in remembrance on the Lord, and wash off the filth of countless incarnations. || 1 || O my mind, chant and meditate on the Name of the Lord. Enjoy the fruits of your mind’s desires; all suffering and sorrow shall depart. || Pause || For His sake, you assumed this body; see God always with you. God is pervading the water, the land and the sky; He sees all with His Glance of Grace.

|| 2 || The mind and body become spotlessly pure, enshrining love for the True Lord. One who dwells upon the Feet of the Supreme Lord God has truly performed all meditations and austerities. || 3 || The Ambrosial Name of the Lord is a Gem, a Jewel, a Pearl. The essence of intuitive peace and bliss is obtained, O servant Nanak, by singing the Glories of God. || 4 || 17 || 87 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: That is the essence of the scriptures, and that is a good omen, by which one comes to chant the Name of the Lord.

The Guru has given me the Wealth of the Lotus Feet of the Lord, and I, without shelter, have now obtained Shelter. The True Capital, and the True Way of Life, comes by chanting His Glories, twenty-four hours a day. Granting His Grace, God meets us, and we no longer die, or come or go in reincarnation. || 1 || O my mind, vibrate and meditate forever on the Lord, with single-minded love. He is contained deep within each and every heart. He is always with you, as your Helper and Support.

|| 1 || Pause || How can I measure the happiness of meditating on the Lord of the Universe? Those who taste it are satisfied and fulfilled; their souls know this Sublime Essence. In the Society of the Saints, God, the Beloved, the Forgiver, comes to dwell within the mind. One who has served his God is the emperor of kings || 2 || This is the time to speak and sing the Praise and the Glory of God, which brings the merit of millions of cleansing and purifying baths.

The tongue which chants these Praises is worthy; there is no charity equal to this. Blessing us with His Glance of Grace, the Kind and Compassionate, All-powerful Lord comes to dwell within the mind and body. My soul, body and wealth are His. Forever and ever, I am a sacrifice to Him. || 3 || One whom the Creator Lord has met and joined to Himself shall never again be separated.

The True Creator Lord breaks the bonds of His slave. The doubter has been put back on the path; his merits and demerits have not been considered. Nanak seeks the Sanctuary of the One who is the Support of every heart. || 4 || 18 || 88 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: With your tongue, repeat the True Name, and your mind and body shall become pure. Your mother and father and all your relations – without Him, there are none at all.