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Shri Guru Granth Sahib: Raag Aasaa
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 001
One Universal Creator God. Truth Is The Name. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying. Beyond Birth. Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace:
Raag Aasaa, First Mehl, First House, So Dar ~ That Gate:
What is that Gate, and what is that Home, in which You sit and take care of all?
Countless musical instruments of so many various kinds vibrate there for You; so many are the musicians there for You.
There are so many Ragas there for You, along with their accompanying harmonies; so many minstrels sing to You.
The winds sing to You, as do water and fire; the Righteous Judge of Dharma sings at Your Door.
Chitar and Gupat, the recording angels of the conscious and the subconscious, sing to You; they know, and they write, and on the basis of what they write, the Lord of Dharma passes judgement.
Shiva and Brahma and the Goddess Parvaati, so beautiful and ever adorned by You, sing to You.
The Indras, seated upon their celestial thrones, with the deities at Your Gate, sing to You.
The Siddhas in Samaadhi sing to You, and the Holy Saints, in their contemplative meditation, sing to You.
The celibates, the truthful and the patient beings sing to You, and the mighty warriors sing to You.
The scholarly Pandits sing to You, along with the holy Rishis and the readers of the Vedas throughout the ages.
The Mohinis, the heavenly beauties who entice the heart in paradise, in this world and in the nether regions, sing to You.
The fourteen priceless jewels created by You, and the sixty-eight holy places of pilgrimage, sing to You.
The mighty warriors and the divine heroes sing to You, and the four sources of creation sing to You.
The continents, the worlds and the solar systems, created and installed by Your Hand, sing to You.
They alone sing to You, who are pleasing to Your Will, and who are imbued with the nectar of Your devotional worship.
So many others sing to You, they do not come into my mind; how can Nanak think of them?
That Lord and Master - He is True, forever True; He is True, and True is His Name.
He who created the creation is True, and He shall always be True; He shall not depart, even when the creation departs.
He created the world of Maya with its various colors and species.
Having created the creation, He Himself watches over it, as it pleases His Greatness.
Whatever pleases Him, that is what He does. No one can issue any commands to Him.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 002
He is the King, the King of Kings, the Emperor of Kings! Nanak lives in surrender to His Will. ||1||1||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
That Lord is Immaculate; the Lord God is Immaculate. The Lord is Unapproachable, Unfathomable and Incomparable.
All meditate, all meditate on You, O Dear Lord, O True Creator.
All beings are Yours; You are the Giver of all beings.
So meditate on the Lord, O Saints; He is the One who takes away all pain.
The Lord Himself is the Master, and He Himself is His own servant. O Nanak, how insignificant are mortal beings! ||1||
You are totally pervading within each and every heart; O Lord, You are the One Primal Being, All-permeating.
Some are givers, and some are beggars; all of this is Your wondrous play!
You Yourself are the Giver, and You Yourself are the Enjoyer. I know of no other than You.
You are the Supreme Lord God, Infinite and Eternal; what Glorious Praises of Yours should I speak and chant?
Unto those who serve, unto those who serve You, slave Nanak is a sacrifice. ||2||
Those who meditate on the Lord, those who meditate on You, O Dear Lord, those humble beings dwell in peace in this world.
They are liberated, they are liberated, who meditate on the Lord; the noose of Death is cut away from them.
Those who meditate on the Fearless One, on the Fearless Lord, all their fears are dispelled.
Those who have served, those who have served my Dear Lord, are absorbed into the Being of the Lord, Har, Har.
Blessed are they, blessed are they, who have meditated on the Dear Lord; slave Nanak is a sacrifice to them. ||3||
Devotion to You, devotion to You, is a treasure, overflowing, infinite and endless.
Your devotees, Your devotees praise You, O Dear Lord, in many and various ways.
For You, so many, for You, so very many, O Dear Lord, perform worship and adoration; they practice penance and endlessly chant in meditation.
For You, many - for You, so very many read the various Simritees and Shaastras; they perform religious rituals and the six ceremonies.
Those devotees, those devotees are good, O servant Nanak, who are pleasing to my Lord God. ||4||
You are the Primal Being, the Unrivalled Creator Lord; there is no other as Great as You.
You are the One, age after age; forever and ever, You are One and the same. You are the Eternal, Unchanging Creator.
Whatever pleases You comes to pass. Whatever You Yourself do, happens.
You Yourself created the entire Universe, and having done so, You Yourself shall destroy it all.
Servant Nanak sings the Glorious Praises of the Creator, the Knower of all. ||5||2||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Raag Aasaa, First Mehl, Chaupaday, Second House:
Hearing, everyone calls You Great,
but only one who has seen You, knows just how Great You are.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 003
No one can measure Your Worth, or describe You.
Those who describe You, remain absorbed in You. ||1||
O my Great Lord and Master of Unfathomable Depth, You are the Ocean of Excellence.
No one knows the greatness of Your expanse. ||1||Pause||
All the contemplators met together and practiced contemplation;
all the appraisers met together and tried to appraise You.
The theologians, the meditators and the teachers of teachers
could not express even an iota of Your Greatness. ||2||
All Truth, all austerities, all goodness,
and the greatness of the Siddhas, the beings of perfect spiritual powers
- without You, none has attained such spiritual powers.
They are obtained by Your Grace; their flow cannot be blocked. ||3||
What can the helpless speaker do?
Your bounties are overflowing with Your Praises.
And the one, unto whom You give - why should he think of any other?
O Nanak, the True Lord is the Embellisher. ||4||1||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Chanting the Name, I live; forgetting it, I die.
It is so difficult to chant the True Name.
If someone feels hunger for the True Name,
then that hunger shall consume his pains. ||1||
So how could I ever forget Him, O my Mother?
True is the Master, and True is His Name. ||1||Pause||
People have grown weary of trying to appraise the greatness of the True Name, but they have not been able to appraise even an iota of it.
Even if they were all to meet together and recount them,
You would not be made any greater or lesser. ||2||
He does not die - there is no reason to mourn.
He continues to give, but His Provisions are never exhausted.
This Glorious Virtue is His alone - no one else is like Him;
there has never been anyone like Him, and there never shall be. ||3||
As Great as You Yourself are, so Great are Your Gifts.
It is You who created day and night as well.
Those who forget their Lord and Master are vile and despicable.
O Nanak, without the Name, people are wretched outcasts. ||4||2||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
If a beggar cries out at the door, the Master hears it in His Mansion.
Whether He receives him or pushes him away, it is the Gift of the Lord's Greatness. ||1||
Recognize the Lord's Light within all, and do not consider social class or status; there are no classes or castes in the world hereafter. ||1||Pause||
He Himself acts, and He Himself inspires us to act.
He Himself considers our complaints.
Since You, O Creator Lord, are the Doer,
why should I submit to the world? ||2||
You Yourself created and You Yourself give.
You Yourself eliminate evil-mindedness;
by Guru's Grace, You come to abide in our minds,
and then, pain and darkness are dispelled from within. ||3||
He Himself infuses love for the Truth.
Unto others, the Truth is not bestowed.
If He bestows it upon someone, says Nanak, then, in the world hereafter, that person is not called to account. ||4||3||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
The urges of the heart are like cymbals and ankle-bells;
the drum of the world resounds with the beat.
Naarad dances to the tune of the Dark Age of Kali Yuga;
where can the celibates and the men of truth place their feet? ||1||
Nanak is a sacrifice to the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
The world is blind; our Lord and Master is All-seeing. ||1||Pause||
The disciple feeds on the Guru;
out of love for bread, he comes to dwell in his home.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 004
If one were to live and eat for hundreds of years,
that day alone would be auspicious, when he recognizes his Lord and Master. ||2||
Beholding the sight of the petitioner, compassion is not aroused.
No one lives without give and take.
The king administers justice only if his palm is greased.
No one is moved by the Name of God. ||3||
O Nanak, they are human beings in form and name only;
by their deeds they are dogs - this is the Command of the Lord's Court.
By Guru's Grace, if one sees himself as a guest in this world,
then he gains honor in the Court of the Lord. ||4||4||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
As much as the Shabad is in the mind, so much is Your melody; as much as the form of the universe is, so much is Your body, Lord.
You Yourself are the tongue, and You Yourself are the nose. Do not speak of any other, O my mother. ||1||
My Lord and Master is One;
He is the One and Only; O Siblings of Destiny, He is the One alone. ||1||Pause||
He Himself kills, and He Himself emancipates; He Himself gives and takes.
He Himself beholds, and He Himself rejoices; He Himself bestows His Glance of Grace. ||2||
Whatever He is to do, that is what He is doing. No one else can do anything.
As He projects Himself, so do we describe Him; this is all Your Glorious Greatness, Lord. ||3||
The Dark Age of Kali Yuga is the bottle of wine; Maya is the sweet wine, and the intoxicated mind continues to drink it in.
He Himself assumes all sorts of forms; thus poor Nanak speaks. ||4||5||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Make your intellect your instrument, and love your tambourine;
thus bliss and lasting pleasure shall be produced in your mind.
This is devotional worship, and this is the practice of penance.
So dance in this love, and keep the beat with your feet. ||1||
Know that the perfect beat is the Praise of the Lord;
other dances produce only temporary pleasure in the mind. ||1||Pause||
Play the two cymbals of truth and contentment.
Let your ankle bells be the lasting Vision of the Lord.
Let your harmony and music be the elimination of duality.
So dance in this love, and keep the beat with your feet. ||2||
Let the fear of God within your heart and mind be your spinning dance,
and keep up, whether sitting or standing.
To roll around in the dust is to know that the body is only ashes.
So dance in this love, and keep the beat with your feet. ||3||
Keep the company of the disciples, the students who love the teachings.
As Gurmukh, listen to the True Name.
O Nanak, chant it, over and over again.
So dance in this love, and keep the beat with your feet. ||4||6||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
He created the air, and He supports the whole world; he bound water and fire together.
The blind, ten-headed Raavan had his heads cut off, but what greatness was obtained by killing him? ||1||
What Glories of Yours can be chanted?
You are totally pervading everywhere; You love and cherish all. ||1||Pause||
You created all beings, and You hold the world in Your Hands; what greatness is it to put a ring in the nose of the black cobra, as Krishna did?
Whose Husband are You? Who is Your wife? You are subtly diffused and pervading in all. ||2||
Brahma, the bestower of blessings, entered the stem of the lotus, with his relatives, to find the extent of the universe.
Proceeding on, he could not find its limits; what glory was obtained by killing Kansa, the king? ||3||
The jewels were produced and brought forth by churning the ocean of milk. The other gods proclaimed "We are the ones who did this!"
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 005
Says Nanak, by hiding, how can the Lord be hidden? He has given each their share, one by one. ||4||7||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
The vine of good actions and character has spread out, and it bears the fruit of the Lord's Name.
The Name has no form or outline; it vibrates with the unstruck Sound Current; through the Word of the Shabad, the Immaculate Lord is revealed. ||1||
One can speak on this only when he knows it.
He alone drinks in the Ambrosial Nectar. ||1||Pause||
Those who drink it in are enraptured; their bonds and shackles are cut away.
When one's light blends into the Divine Light, then the desire for Maya is ended. ||2||
Among all lights, I behold Your Form; all the worlds are Your Maya.
Among the tumults and forms, He sits in serene detachment; He bestows His Glance of Grace upon those who are engrossed in the illusion. ||3||
The Yogi who plays on the instrument of the Shabad gains the Blessed Vision of the Infinitely Beautiful Lord.
He, the Lord, is immersed in the Unstruck Shabad of the Word, says Nanak, the humble and meek. ||4||8||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
My virtue is that I carry the load of my words upon my head.
The real words are the Words of the Creator Lord.
How useless are eating, drinking and laughing,
if the Lord is not cherished in the heart! ||1||
Why should someone care for anything else,
if throughout his life, he gathers in that which is truly worth gathering? ||1||Pause||
The intellect of the mind is like a drunken elephant.
Whatever one utters is totally false, the most false of the false.
So what face should we put on to offer our prayer,
when both virtue and vice are close at hand as witnesses? ||2||
As You make us, so we become.
Without You, there is no other at all.
As is the understanding which You bestow, so do we receive.
As it pleases Your Will, so do You lead us. ||3||
The divine crystalline harmonies, their consorts, and their celestial families
- from them, the essence of Ambrosial Nectar is produced.
O Nanak, this is the wealth and property of the Creator Lord.
If only this essential reality were understood! ||4||9||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
When by His Grace He came to my home, then my companions met together to celebrate my marriage.
Beholding this play, my mind became blissful; my Husband Lord has come to marry me. ||1||
So sing - yes, sing the songs of wisdom and reflection, O brides.
My spouse, the Life of the world, has come into my home. ||1||Pause||
When I was married within the Gurdwara, the Guru's Gate, I met my Husband Lord, and I came to know Him.
The Word of His Shabad is pervading the three worlds; when my ego was quieted, my mind became happy. ||2||
He Himself arranges His own affairs; His affairs cannot be arranged by anyone else.
By the affair of this marriage, truth, contentment, mercy and faith are produced; but how rare is that Gurmukh who understands it! ||3||
Says Nanak, that Lord alone is the Husband of all.
She, upon whom He casts His Glance of Grace, becomes the happy soul-bride. ||4||10||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Home and forest are the same, for one who dwells in the balance of intuitive peace and poise.
His evil-mindedness departs, and the Praises of God take its place.
To chant the True Name with one's mouth is the true ladder.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 006
Serving the True Guru, one finds one's own place within the self. ||1||
To conquer the mind is the knowledge of the six Shaastras.
The Divine Light of the Lord God is perfectly pervading. ||1||Pause||
Excessive thirst for Maya makes people wear all sorts of religious robes.
The pain of corruption destroys the body's peace.
Sexual desire and anger steal the wealth of the self within.
But by abandoning duality, one is emancipated through the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||2||
In the Lord's Praise and adoration is intuitive peace, poise and bliss.
The Love of the Lord God is one's family and friends.
He Himself is the Doer, and He Himself is the Forgiver.
My body and mind belong to the Lord; my life is at His Command. ||3||
Falsehood and corruption cause terrible suffering.
All the religious robes and social classes look just like dust.
Whoever is born, continues to come and go.
O Nanak, only the Naam and the Lord's Command are eternal and everlasting. ||4||11||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
In the pool is the one incomparably beautiful lotus.
It blossoms continually; its form is pure and fragrant.
The swans pick up the bright jewels.
They take on the essence of the All-powerful Lord of the Universe. ||1||
Whoever is seen, is subject to birth and death.
In the pool without water, the lotus is not seen. ||1||Pause||
How rare are those who know and understand this secret.
The Vedas continually speak of the three branches.
One who merges into the knowledge of the Lord as absolute and related,
serves the True Guru and obtains the supreme status. ||2||
One who is imbued with the Love of the Lord and dwells continually upon Him is liberated.
He is the king of kings, and blossoms forth continually.
That one whom You preserve, by bestowing Your Mercy, O Lord,
even the sinking stone - You float that one across. ||3||
Your Light is pervading the three worlds; I know that You are permeating the three worlds.
When my mind turned away from Maya, I came to dwell in my own home.
Nanak falls at the feet of that person who immerses himself in the Lord's Love, and performs devotional worship night and day. ||4||12||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Receiving the True Teachings from the Guru, arguments depart.
But through excessive cleverness, one is only plastered with dirt.
The filth of attachment is removed by the True Name of the Lord.
By Guru's Grace, one remains lovingly attached to the Lord. ||1||
He is the Presence Ever-present; offer your prayers to Him.
Pain and pleasure are in the Hands of God, the True Creator. ||1||Pause||
One who practices falsehood comes and goes.
By speaking and talking, His limits cannot be found.
Whatever one sees, is not understood.
Without the Name, satisfaction does not enter into the mind. ||2||
Whoever is born is afflicted by disease,
tortured by the pain of egotism and Maya.
They alone are saved, who are protected by God.
Serving the True Guru, they drink in the Amrit, the Ambrosial Nectar. ||3||
The unstable mind is restrained by tasting this Nectar.
Serving the True Guru, one comes to cherish the Ambrosial Nectar of the Shabad.
Through the True Word of the Shabad, the state of liberation is obtained.
O Nanak, self-conceit is eradicated from within. ||4||13||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Whatever He has done, has proved to be true.
The True Guru bestows the Ambrosial Naam, the Name of the Lord.
With the Naam in the heart, the mind is not separated from the Lord.
Night and day, one dwells with the Beloved. ||1||
O Lord, please keep me in the Protection of Your Sanctuary.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 007
By Guru's Grace, I have obtained the sublime essence of the Lord; I have received the wealth of the Naam and the nine treasures. ||1||Pause||
Those whose karma and Dharma - whose actions and faith - are in the True Name of the True Lord
- I am forever a sacrifice to them.
Those who are imbued with the Lord are accepted and respected.
In their company, the supreme wealth is obtained. ||2||
Blessed is that bride, who has obtained the Lord as her Husband.
She is imbued with the Lord, and she reflects upon the Word of His Shabad.
She saves herself, and saves her family and friends as well.
She serves the True Guru, and contemplates the essence of reality. ||3||
The True Name is my social status and honor.
The love of the Truth is my karma and Dharma - my faith and my actions, and my self-control.
O Nanak, one who is forgiven by the Lord is not called to account.
The One Lord erases duality. ||4||14||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Some come, and after they come, they go.
Some are imbued with the Lord; they remain absorbed in Him.
Some find no place of rest at all, on the earth or in the sky.
Those who do not meditate on the Name of the Lord are the most unfortunate. ||1||
From the Perfect Guru, the way to salvation is obtained.
This world is a terrifying ocean of poison; through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, the Lord helps us cross over. ||1||Pause||
Those, whom God unites with Himself,
cannot be crushed by death.
The beloved Gurmukhs remain immaculately pure,
like the lotus in the water, which remains untouched. ||2||
Tell me: who should we call good or bad?
Behold the Lord God; the truth is revealed to the Gurmukh.
I speak the Unspoken Speech of the Lord, contemplating the Guru's Teachings.
I join the Sangat, the Guru's Congregation, and I find God's limits. ||3||
The Shaastras, the Vedas, the Simritees and all their many secrets;
bathing at the sixty-eight holy places of pilgrimage - all this is found by enshrining the sublime essence of the Lord in the heart.
The Gurmukhs are immaculately pure; no filth sticks to them.
O Nanak, the Naam, the Name of the Lord, abides in the heart, by the greatest pre-ordained destiny. ||4||15||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Bowing down, again and again, I fall at the Feet of my Guru; through Him, I have seen the Lord, the Divine Self, within.
Through contemplation and meditation, the Lord dwells within the heart; see this, and understand. ||1||
So speak the Lord's Name, which shall emancipate you.
By Guru's Grace, the jewel of the Lord is found; ignorance is dispelled, and the Divine Light shines forth. ||1||Pause||
By merely saying it with the tongue, one's bonds are not broken, and egotism and doubt do not depart from within.
But when one meets the True Guru, egotism departs, and then, one realizes his destiny. ||2||
The Name of the Lord, Har, Har, is sweet and dear to His devotees; it is the ocean of peace - enshrine it within the heart.
The Lover of His devotees, the Life of the World, the Lord bestows the Guru's Teachings upon the intellect, and one is emancipated. ||3||
One who dies fighting against his own stubborn mind finds God, and the desires of the mind are quieted.
O Nanak, if the Life of the World bestows His Mercy, one is intuitively attuned to the Love of the Lord. ||4||16||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Unto whom do they speak? Unto whom do they preach? Who understands? Let them understand themselves.
Who do they teach? Through study, they come to realize the Lord's Glorious Virtues. Through the Shabad, the Word of the True Guru, they come to dwell in contentment. ||1||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 008
Through the Guru's Teachings, realize that He is pervading in all bodies;
O my soul, vibrate on the Profound, Unfathomable Lord. ||1||Pause||
Loving devotion to the Lord brings endless waves of joy and delight.
One who dwells with the Glorious Praises of the Lord, night and day, is sanctified.
The birth into the world of the faithless cynic is totally useless.
The humble devotee of the Lord remains unattached. ||2||
The body which sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord is sanctified.
The soul remains conscious of the Lord, absorbed in His Love.
The Lord is the Infinite Primal Being, beyond the beyond, the priceless jewel.
My mind is totally content, imbued with my Beloved. ||3||
Those who speak and babble on and on, are truly dead.
God is not far away - O God, You are right here.
I have seen that the whole world is engrossed in Maya.
O Nanak, through the Guru's Teachings, I meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||4||17||
Aasaa, First Mehl, Ti-Tukas:
One is a beggar, living on charity;
another is a king, absorbed in himself.
One receives honor, and another dishonor.
The Lord destroys and creates; He is enshrined in His meditation.
There is no other as great as You.
So whom should I present to You? Who is good enough? ||1||
The Naam, the Name of the Lord, is my only Support.
You are the Great Giver, the Doer, the Creator. ||1||Pause||
I have not walked on Your Path; I have followed the crooked path.
In the Court of the Lord, I find no place to sit.
I am mentally blind, in the bondage of Maya.
The wall of my body is breaking down, wearing away, growing weaker.
You have such high hopes of eating and living
- your breaths and morsels of food are already counted! ||2||
Night and day they are blind - please, bless them with Your Light.
They are drowning in the terrifying world-ocean, crying out in pain.
I am a sacrifice to those who chant, hear and believe in the Name.
Nanak utters this one prayer;
soul and body, all belong to You, Lord. ||3||
When You bless me, I chant Your Name.
Thus I find my seat in the Court of the Lord.
When it pleases You, evil-mindedness departs,
and the jewel of spiritual wisdom comes to dwell in the mind.
When the Lord bestows His Glance of Grace, then one comes to meet the True Guru.
Prays Nanak, carry us across the terrifying world-ocean. ||4||18||
Aasaa, First Mehl, Panch-Padas:
A cow without milk; a bird without wings; a garden without water - totally useless!
What is an emperor, without respect? The chamber of the soul is so dark, without the Name of the Lord. ||1||
How could I ever forget You? It would be so painful!
I would suffer such pain - no, I shall not forget You! ||1||Pause||
The eyes grow blind, the tongue does not taste, and the ears do not hear any sound.
He walks on his feet only when supported by someone else; without serving the Lord, such are the fruits of life. ||2||
The Word is the tree; the garden of the heart is the farm; tend it, and irrigate it with the Lord's Love.
All these trees bear the fruit of the Name of the One Lord; but without the karma of good actions, how can anyone obtain it? ||3||
As many living beings are there are, they are all Yours. Without selfless service, no one obtains any reward.
Pain and pleasure come by Your Will; without the Name, the soul does not even exist. ||4||
To die in the Teachings is to live. Otherwise, what is life? That is not the way.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 009
Says Nanak, He grants life to the living beings; O Lord, please keep me according to Your Will. ||5||19||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Let the body be the Brahmin, and let the mind be the loin-cloth;
let spiritual wisdom be the sacred thread, and meditation the ceremonial ring.
I seek the Name of the Lord and His Praise as my cleansing bath.
By Guru's Grace, I am absorbed into God. ||1||
O Pandit, O religious scholar, contemplate God in such a way
that His Name may sanctify you, that His Name may be your study, and His Name your wisdom and way of life. ||1||Pause||
The outer sacred thread is worthwhile only as long as the Divine Light is within.
So make the remembrance of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, your loin-cloth and the ceremonial mark on your forehead.
Here and hereafter, the Name alone shall stand by you.
Do not seek any other actions, except the Name. ||2||
Worship the Lord in loving adoration, and burn your desire for Maya.
Behold only the One Lord, and do not seek out any other.
Become aware of reality, in the Sky of the Tenth Gate;
read aloud the Lord's Word, and contemplate it. ||3||
With the diet of His Love, doubt and fear depart.
With the Lord as your night watchman, no thief will dare to break in.
Let the knowledge of the One God be the ceremonial mark on your forehead.
Let the realization that God is within you be your discrimination. ||4||
Through ritual actions, God cannot be won over;
by reciting sacred scriptures, His value cannot be estimated.
The eighteen Puraanas and the four Vedas do not know His mystery.
O Nanak, the True Guru has shown me the Lord God. ||5||20||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
He alone is the selfless servant, slave and humble devotee,
who as Gurmukh, becomes the slave of his Lord and Master.
He, who created the Universe, shall ultimately destroy it.
Without Him, there is no other at all. ||1||
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, the Gurmukh reflects upon the True Name; in the True Court, he is found to be true. ||1||Pause||
The true supplication, the true prayer
- within the Mansion of His Sublime Presence, the True Lord Master hears and applauds these.
He summons the truthful to His Heavenly Throne
and bestows glorious greatness upon them; that which He wills, comes to pass. ||2||
The Power is Yours; You are my only Support.
The Word of the Guru's Shabad is my true password.
One who obeys the Hukam of the Lord's Command, goes to Him openly.
With the password of truth, his way is not blocked. ||3||
The Pandit reads and expounds on the Vedas,
but he does not know the secret of the thing within himself.
Without the Guru, understanding and realization are not obtained;
but still God is True, pervading everywhere. ||4||
What should I say, or speak or describe?
Only You Yourself know, O Lord of total wonder.
Nanak takes the Support of the Door of the One God.
There, at the True Door, the Gurmukhs sustain themselves. ||5||21||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
The clay pitcher of the body is miserable; it suffers in pain through birth and death.
How can this terrifying world-ocean be crossed over? Without the Lord - Guru, it cannot be crossed. ||1||
Without You, there is no other at all, O my Beloved; without you, there is no other at all.
You are in all colors and forms; he alone is forgiven, upon whom You bestow Your Glance of Grace. ||1||Pause||
Maya, my mother-in-law, is evil; she does not let me live in my own home. The vicious one does not let me meet with my Husband Lord.
I serve at the feet of my companions and friends; the Lord has showered me with His Mercy, through Guru's Grace. ||2||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 010
Reflecting upon my self, and conquering my mind, I have seen that there is no other friend like You.
As You keep me, so do I live. You are the Giver of peace and pleasure. Whatever You do, comes to pass. ||3||
Hope and desire have both been dispelled; I have renounced my longing for the three qualities.
The Gurmukh obtains the state of ecstasy, taking to the Shelter of the Saints' Congregation. ||4||
All wisdom and meditation, all chanting and penance, come to one whose heart is filled with the Invisible, Inscrutable Lord.
O Nanak, one whose mind is imbued with the Lord's Name, finds the Guru's Teachings, and intuitively serves. ||5||22||
Aasaa, First Mehl, Panch-Padas:
Your attachment to your family, your attachment to all your affairs
- renounce all your attachments, for they are all corrupt. ||1||
Renounce your attachments and doubts, O brother,
and dwell upon the True Name within your heart and body. ||1||Pause||
When one receives the nine treasures of the True Name,
his children do not weep, and his mother does not grieve. ||2||
In this attachment, the world is drowning.
Few are the Gurmukhs who swim across. ||3||
In this attachment, people are reincarnated over and over again.
Attached to emotional attachment, they go to the city of Death. ||4||
You have received the Guru's Teachings - now practice meditation and penance.
If attachment is not broken, no one is approved. ||5||
But if He bestows His Glance of Grace, then this attachment departs.
O Nanak, then one remains merged in the Lord. ||6||23||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
He Himself does everything, the True, Invisible, Infinite Lord.
I am a sinner, You are the Forgiver. ||1||
By Your Will, everything come to pass.
One who acts in stubborn-mindedness is ruined in the end. ||1||Pause||
The intellect of the self-willed manmukh is engrossed in falsehood.
Without the meditative remembrance of the Lord, it suffers in sin. ||2||
Renounce evil-mindedness, and you shall reap the rewards.
Whoever is born, comes through the Unknowable and Mysterious Lord. ||3||
Such is my Friend and Companion;
meeting with the Guru, the Lord, devotion was implanted within me. ||4||
In all other transactions, one suffers loss.
The Name of the Lord is pleasing to Nanak's mind. ||5||24||
Aasaa, First Mehl, Chau-Padas:
Contemplate and reflect upon knowledge, and you will become a benefactor to others.
When you conquer the five passions, then you shall come to dwell at the sacred shrine of pilgrimage. ||1||
You shall hear the vibrations of the tinkling bells, when your mind is held steady.
So what can the Messenger of Death do to me hereafter? ||1||Pause||
When you abandon hope and desire, then you become a true Sannyaasi.
When the Yogi practices abstinence, then he enjoys his body. ||2||
Through compassion, the naked hermit reflects upon his inner self.
He slays his own self, instead of slaying others. ||3||
You, O Lord, are the One, but You have so many Forms.
Nanak does not know Your wondrous plays. ||4||25||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
I am not stained by only one sin, that could be washed clean by virtue.
My Husband Lord is awake, while I sleep through the entire night of my life. ||1||
In this way, how can I become dear to my Husband Lord?
My Husband Lord remains awake, while I sleep through the entire night of my life. ||1||Pause||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 011
With hope and desire, I approach His Bed,
but I do not know whether He will be pleased with me or not. ||2||
How do I know what will happen to me, O my mother?
Without the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan, I cannot survive. ||1||Pause||
I have not tasted His Love, and my thirst is not quenched.
My beautiful youth has run away, and now I, the soul-bride, repent and regret. ||3||
Even now, I am held by hope and desire.
I am depressed; I have no hope at all. ||1||Pause||
She overcomes her egotism, and adorns herself;
the Husband Lord now ravishes and enjoys the soul-bride on His Bed. ||4||
Then, O Nanak, the bride becomes pleasing to the Mind of her Husband Lord;
she sheds her self-conceit, and is absorbed in her Lord and Master. ||1||Pause||26||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
In this world of my father's house, I, the soul-bride, have been very childish;
I did not realize the value of my Husband Lord. ||1||
My Husband is the One; there is no other like Him.
If He bestows His Glance of Grace, then I shall meet Him. ||1||Pause||
In the next world of my in-law's house, I, the the soul-bride, shall realize Truth;
I shall come to know the celestial peace of my Husband Lord. ||2||
By Guru's Grace, such wisdom comes to me,
so that the soul-bride becomes pleasing to the Mind of the Husband Lord. ||3||
Says Nanak, she who adorns herself with the Love and the Fear of God,
enjoys her Husband Lord forever on His Bed. ||4||27||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
No one is anyone else's son, and no one is anyone else's mother.
Through false attachments, people wander around in doubt. ||1||
O My Lord and Master, I am created by You.
If You give it to me, I will chant Your Name. ||1||Pause||
That person who is filled with all sorts of sins may pray at the Lord's Door,
but he is forgiven only when the Lord so wills. ||2||
By Guru's Grace, evil-mindedness is destroyed.
Wherever I look, there I find the One Lord. ||3||
Says Nanak, if one comes to such an understanding,
then he is absorbed into the Truest of the True. ||4||28||
Aasaa, First Mehl, Du-Padas:
In that pool of the world, the people have their homes; there, the Lord has created water and fire.
In the mud of earthly attachment, their feet have become mired, and I have seen them drowning there. ||1||
O foolish people, why don't you remember the One Lord?
Forgetting the Lord, your virtues shall wither away. ||1||Pause||
I am not a celibate, nor am I truthful, nor a scholar; I was born foolish and ignorant.
Prays Nanak, I seek the Sanctuary of those who do not forget You, Lord. ||2||29||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
There are six systems of philosophy, six teachers, and six doctrines;
but the Teacher of teachers is the One Lord, who appears in so many forms. ||1||
That system, where the Praises of the Creator are sung
- follow that system; in it rests greatness. ||1||Pause||
As the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weekdays months and seasons all originate from the one sun,
O Nanak, so do all forms originate from the One Creator. ||2||30||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 012
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Aasaa, Third House, First Mehl:
You may have thousands of armies, thousands of marching bands and lances, and thousands of men to rise and salute you.
Your rule may extend over thousands of miles, and thousands of men may rise to honor you.
But, if your honor is of no account to the Lord, then all of your ostentatious show is useless. ||1||
Without the Name of the Lord, the world is in turmoil.
Even though the fool may be taught again and again, he remains the blindest of the blind. ||1||Pause||
You may earn thousands, collect thousands, and spend thousands of dollars; thousands may come, and thousands may go.
But, if your honor is of no account to the Lord, then where will you go to find a safe haven? ||2||
Thousands of Shaastras may be explained to the mortal, and thousands of Pandits may read the Puraanas to him;
but, if his honor is of no account to the Lord, then all of this is unacceptable. ||3||
Honor comes from the True Name, the Name of the Merciful Creator.
If it abides in the heart, day and night, O Nanak, then the mortal shall swim across, by His Grace. ||4||1||31||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
The One Name is my lamp; I have put the oil of suffering into it.
Its flame has dried up this oil, and I have escaped my meeting with the Messenger of Death. ||1||
O people, do not make fun of me.
Thousands of wooden logs, piled up together, need only a tiny flame to burn. ||1||Pause||
The Lord is my festive dish, of rice balls on leafy plates; the True Name of the Creator Lord is my funeral ceremony.
Here and hereafter, in the past and in the future, this is my support. ||2||
The Lord's Praise is my River Ganges and my city of Benares; my soul takes its sacred cleansing bath there.
That becomes my true cleansing bath, if night and day, I enshrine love for You. ||3||
The rice balls are offered to the gods and the dead ancestors, but it is the Brahmins who eat them!
O Nanak, the rice balls of the Lord are a gift which is never exhausted. ||4||2||32||
Aasaa, Fourth House, First Mehl:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
The Gods, yearning for the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan, suffered through pain and hunger at the sacred shrines.
The yogis and the celibates live their disciplined lifestyle, while others wear saffron robes and become hermits. ||1||
For Your sake, O Lord Master, they are imbued with love.
Your Names are so many, and Your Forms are endless. No one can tell how may Glorious Virtues You have. ||1||Pause||
Leaving behind hearth and home, palaces, elephants, horses and native lands, mortals have journeyed to foreign lands.
The spiritual leaders, prophets, seers and men of faith renounced the world, and became acceptable. ||2||
Renouncing tasty delicacies, comfort, happiness and pleasures, some have abandoned their clothes and now wear skins.
Those who suffer in pain, imbued with Your Name, have become beggars at Your Door. ||3||
Some wear skins, and carry begging bowls, bearing wooden staffs, and sitting on deer skins. Others raise their hair in tufts and wear sacred threads and loin-cloths.
You are the Lord Master, I am just Your puppet. Prays Nanak, what is my social status to be? ||4||1||33||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 013
Aasaa, Fifth House, First Mehl:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
The five evil passions dwell hidden within the mind.
They do not remain still, but move around like wanderers. ||1||
My soul does not stay held by the Merciful Lord.
It is greedy, deceitful, sinful and hypocritical, and totally attached to Maya. ||1||Pause||
I will decorate my neck with garlands of flowers.
When I meet my Beloved, then I will put on my decorations. ||2||
I have five companions and one Spouse.
It is ordained from the very beginning, that the soul must ultimately depart. ||3||
The five companions will lament together.
When the soul is trapped, prays Nanak, it is called to account. ||4||1||34||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Aasaa, Sixth House, First Mehl:
If the pearl of the mind is strung like a jewel on the thread of the breath,
and the soul-bride adorns her body with compassion, then the Beloved Lord will enjoy His lovely bride. ||1||
O my Love, I am fascinated by Your many glories;
Your Glorious Virtues are not found in any other. ||1||Pause||
If the bride wears the garland of the Lord's Name, Har, Har, around her neck, and if she uses the toothbrush of the Lord;
and if she fashions and wears the bracelet of the Creator Lord around her wrist, then she shall hold her consciousness steady. ||2||
She should make the Lord, the Slayer of demons, her ring, and take the Transcendent Lord as her silken clothes.
The soul-bride should weave patience into the braids of her hair, and apply the lotion of the Lord, the Great Lover. ||3||
If she lights the lamp in the mansion of her mind, and makes her body the bed of the Lord,
then, when the King of spiritual wisdom comes to her bed, He shall take her, and enjoy her. ||4||1||35||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
The created being acts as he is made to act; what can be said to him, O Siblings of Destiny?
Whatever the Lord is to do, He is doing; what cleverness could be used to affect Him? ||1||
The Order of Your Will is so sweet, O Lord; this is pleasing to You.
O Nanak, he alone is honored with greatness, who is absorbed in the True Name. ||1||Pause||
The deeds are done according to pre-ordained destiny; no one can turn back this Order.
As it is written, so it comes to pass; no one can erase it. ||2||
He who talks on and on in the Lord's Court is known as a joker.
He is not successful in the game of chess, and his chessmen do not reach their goal. ||3||
By himself, no one is literate, learned or wise; no one is ignorant or evil.
When, as a slave, one praises the Lord, only then is he known as a human being. ||4||2||36||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Let the Word of the Guru's Shabad be the ear-rings in your mind, and wear the patched coat of tolerance.
Whatever the Lord does, look upon that as good; thus you shall obtain the treasure of Sehj Yoga. ||1||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 014
O father, the soul which is united in union as a Yogi, remains united in the supreme essence throughout the ages.
One who has obtained the Ambrosial Naam, the Name of the Immaculate Lord - his body enjoys the pleasure of spiritual wisdom. ||1||Pause||
In the Lord's City, he sits in his Yogic posture, and he forsakes his desires and conflicts.
The sound of the horn ever rings out its beautiful melody, and day and night, he is filled with the sound current of the Naad. ||2||
My cup is reflective meditation, and spiritual wisdom is my walking stick; to dwell in the Lord's Presence is the ashes I apply to my body.
The Praise of the Lord is my occupation; and to live as Gurmukh is my pure religion. ||3||
My arm-rest is to see the Lord's Light in all, although their forms and colors are so numerous.
Says Nanak, listen, O Bharthari Yogi: love only the Supreme Lord God. ||4||3||37||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Make spiritual wisdom your molasses, and meditation your scented flowers; let good deeds be the herbs.
Let devotional faith be the distilling fire, and your love the ceramic cup. Thus the sweet nectar of life is distilled. ||1||
O Baba, the mind is intoxicated with the Naam, drinking in its Nectar. It remains absorbed in the Lord's Love.
Night and day, remaining attached to the Love of the Lord, the celestial music of the Shabad resounds. ||1||Pause||
The Perfect Lord naturally gives the cup of Truth, to the one upon whom He casts His Glance of Grace.
One who trades in this Nectar - how could he ever love the wine of the world? ||2||
The Teachings of the Guru, the Ambrosial Bani - drinking them in, one becomes acceptable and renowned.
Unto the one who loves the Lord's Court, and the Blessed Vision of His Darshan, of what use is liberation or paradise? ||3||
Imbued with the Lord's Praises, one is forever a Bairaagee, a renunciate, and one's life is not lost in the gamble.
Says Nanak, listen, O Bharthari Yogi: drink in the intoxicating nectar of the Lord. ||4||4||38||
Aasaa, First Mehl:
Having attacked Khuraasaan, Baabar terrified Hindustan.
The Creator Himself does not take the blame, but has sent the Mugal as the messenger of death.
There was so much slaughter that the people screamed. Didn't You feel compassion, Lord? ||1||
O Creator Lord, You are the Master of all.
If some powerful man strikes out against another man, then no one feels any grief in their mind. ||1||Pause||
But if a powerful tiger attacks a flock of sheep and kills them, then its master must answer for it.
This priceless country has been laid waste and defiled by dogs, and no one pays any attention to the dead.
You Yourself unite, and You Yourself separate; I gaze upon Your Glorious Greatness. ||2||
One may give himself a great name, and revel in the pleasures of the mind,
but in the Eyes of the Lord and Master, he is just a worm, for all the corn that he eats.
Only one who dies to his ego while yet alive, obtains the blessings, O Nanak, by chanting the Lord's Name. ||3||5||39||
Raag Aasaa, Second House, Third Mehl:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
The Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan is obtained by great good fortune.
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, true detachment is obtained.
The six systems of philosophy are pervasive,
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 015
but the Guru's system is profound and unequalled. ||1||
The Guru's system is the way to liberation.
The True Lord Himself comes to dwell in the mind. ||1||Pause||
Through the Guru's system, the world is saved,
if it is embraced with love and affection.
How rare is that person who truly loves the Guru's Way.
Through the Guru's system, everlasting peace is obtained. ||2||
Through the Guru's system, the Door of Salvation is obtained.
Serving the True Guru, one's family is saved.
There is no salvation for those who have no Guru.
Beguiled by worthless sins, they are struck down. ||3||
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, the body finds peace and tranquility.
The Gurmukh is not afflicted by pain.
The Messenger of Death does not come near him.
O Nanak, the Gurmukh is absorbed in the True Lord. ||4||1||40||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
One who dies in the Word of the Shabad, eradicates his self-conceit from within.
He serves the True Guru, with no iota of self-interest.
The Fearless Lord, the Great Giver, ever abides in his mind.
The True Bani of the Word is obtained only by good destiny. ||1||
So gather merits, and let your demerits depart from within you.
You shall be absorbed into the Shabad, the Word of the Perfect Guru. ||1||Pause||
One who purchases merits, knows the value of these merits.
He chants the Ambrosial Nectar of the Word, and the Name of the Lord.
Through the True Bani of the Word, he becomes pure.
Through merit, the Name is obtained. ||2||
The invaluable merits cannot be acquired.
The pure mind is absorbed into the True Word of the Shabad.
How very fortunate are those who meditate on the Naam,
and ever enshrine in their minds the Lord, the Giver of merit. ||3||
I am a sacrifice to those who gather merits.
At the Gate of Truth, I sing the Glorious Praises of the True One.
He Himself spontaneously bestows His gifts.
O Nanak, the value of the Lord cannot be described. ||4||2||41||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
Great is the greatness of the True Guru;
He merges in His Merger, those who have been separated for so long.
He Himself merges the merged in His Merger.
He Himself knows His own worth. ||1||
How can anyone appraise the Lord's worth?
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, one may merge with the Infinite, Unapproachable and Incomprehensible Lord. ||1||Pause||
Few are the Gurmukhs who know His worth.
How rare are those who receive the Lord's Grace.
Through the Sublime Bani of His Word, one becomes sublime.
The Gurmukh chants the Word of the Shabad. ||2||
Without the Name, the body suffers in pain;
but when one meets the True Guru, then that pain is removed.
Without meeting the Guru, the mortal earns only pain.
The self-willed manmukh receives only more punishment. ||3||
The essence of the Lord's Name is so very sweet;
he alone drinks it, whom the Lord causes to drink it.
By Guru's Grace, the essence of the Lord is obtained.
O Nanak, imbued with the Naam, the Name of the Lord, salvation is attained. ||4||3||42||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
My God is True, deep and profound.
Serving Him, the body acquires peace and tranquility.
Through the Word of the Shabad, His humble servants easily swim across.
I fall at their feet forever and ever. ||1||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 016
Those being whose minds are imbued and drenched with the Lord's Love
- their pains of birth and death are taken away. They are automatically ushered into the Court of the Lord. ||1||Pause||
One who has tasted the Shabad, obtains the true flavor.
The Name of the Lord abides within his mind.
The Lord God is Eternal and All-pervading.
He Himself is near, and He Himself is far away. ||2||
Everyone talks and speaks through speech;
the Lord Himself forgives, and unites us with Himself.
By merely speaking and talking, He is not obtained.
By Guru's Grace, He comes to abide in the mind. ||3||
The Gurmukh eradicates his self-conceit from within.
He is imbued with the Lord's Love, having discarded worldly attachment.
He contemplates the utterly Immaculate Word of the Guru's Shabad.
O Nanak, the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is our Salvation. ||4||4||43||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
Attached to the love of duality, one only incurs pain.
Without the Word of the Shabad, one's life is wasted away in vain.
Serving the True Guru, understanding is obtained,
and then, one is not attached to the love of duality. ||1||
Those who hold fast to their roots, become acceptable.
Night and day, they meditate within their hearts on the Lord's Name; through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, they know the One Lord. ||1||Pause||
One who is attached to the branch, does not receive the fruits.
For blind actions, blind punishment is received.
The blind, self-willed manmukh finds no place of rest.
He is a maggot in manure, and in manure he shall rot away. ||2||
Serving the Guru, everlasting peace is obtained.
Joining the True Congregation, the Sat Sangat, the Glorious Praises of the Lord are sung.
One who contemplates the Naam, the Name of the Lord,
saves himself, and his family as well. ||3||
Through the Word of the Guru's Bani, the Naam resounds;
O Nanak, through the Word of the Shabad, one finds the Mansion of the Lord's Presence within the home of the heart.
Under Guru's Instruction, bathe in the Pool of Truth, in the Water of the Lord;
thus the filth of evil-mindedness and sin shall all be washed away. ||4||5||44||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
The self-willed manmukhs are dying; they are wasting away in death.
In the love of duality, they murder their own souls.
Crying out, "Mine, mine!", they are ruined.
They do not remember their souls; they are asleep in superstition. ||1||
He alone dies a real death, who dies in the Word of the Shabad.
The Guru has inspired me to realize, that praise and slander are one and the same; in this world, the profit is obtained by chanting the Name of the Lord. ||1||Pause||
Those who lack the Naam, the Name of the Lord, are dissolved within the womb.
Useless is the birth of those who are lured by duality.
Without the Naam, all are burning in pain.
The Perfect True Guru has given me this understanding. ||2||
The fickle mind is struck down so many times.
Having lost this opportunity, no place of rest shall be found.
Cast into the womb of reincarnation, the mortal lives in manure;
in such a home, the self-willed manmukh takes up residence. ||3||
I am forever a sacrifice to my True Guru;
the light of the Gurmukh blends with the Divine Light of the Lord.
Through the Immaculate Bani of the Word, the mortal dwells within the home of his own inner self.
O Nanak, he conquers his ego, and remains forever detached. ||4||6||45||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
The Lord's slave sets aside his own social status.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 017
He dedicates his mind and body to the True Guru, and seeks His Sanctuary.
His greatest greatness is that the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is in his heart.
The Beloved Lord God is his constant companion. ||1||
He alone is the Lord's slave, who remains dead while yet alive.
He looks upon pleasure and pain alike; by Guru's Grace, he is saved through the Word of the Shabad. ||1||Pause||
He does his deeds according to the Lord's Primal Command.
Without the Shabad, no one is approved.
Singing the Kirtan of the Lord's Praises, the Naam abides within the mind.
He Himself gives His gifts, without hesitation. ||2||
The self-willed manmukh wanders around the world in doubt.
Without any capital, he makes false transactions.
Without any capital, he does not obtain any merchandise.
The mistaken manmukh wastes away his life. ||3||
One who serves the True Guru is the Lord's slave.
His social status is exalted, and his reputation is exalted.
Climbing the Guru's Ladder, he becomes the most exalted of all.
O Nanak, through the Naam, the Name of the Lord, greatness is obtained. ||4||7||46||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
The self-willed manmukh practices falsehood, only falsehood.
He never attains the Mansion of the Lord Presence.
Attached to duality, he wanders, deluded by doubt.
Entangled in worldly attachments, he comes and goes. ||1||
Behold, the decorations of the discarded bride!
Her consciousness is attached to children, spouse, wealth, and Maya, falsehood, emotional attachment, hypocrisy and corruption. ||1||Pause||
She who is pleasing to God is forever a happy soul-bride.
She makes the Word of the Guru's Shabad her decoration.
Her bed is so comfortable; she enjoys her Lord, night and day.
Meeting her Beloved, the obtains eternal peace. ||2||
She is a true, virtuous soul-bride, who enshrines love for the True Lord.
She keeps her Husband Lord always clasped to her heart.
She sees Him near at hand, ever-present.
My God is all-pervading everywhere. ||3||
Social status and beauty will not go with you hereafter.
As are the deeds done here, so does one become.
Through the Word of the Shabad, one becomes the highest of the high.
O Nanak, he is absorbed in the True Lord. ||4||8||47||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
The Lord's humble servant is imbued with devotional love, effortlessly and spontaneously.
Through awe and fear of the Guru, he is truly absorbed in the True One.
Without the Perfect Guru, devotional love is not obtained.
The self-willed manmukhs lose their honor, and cry out in pain. ||1||
O my mind, chant the Lord's Name, and meditate on Him forever.
You shall always be in ecstasy, day and night, and you shall obtain the fruits of your desires. ||1||Pause||
Through the Perfect Guru, the Perfect Lord is obtained,
and the Shabad, the True Name, is enshrined in the mind.
One who bathes in the Pool of Ambrosial Nectar becomes immaculately pure within.
He becomes forever sanctified, and is absorbed in the True Lord. ||2||
He sees the Lord God ever-present.
By Guru's Grace, he sees the Lord permeating and pervading everywhere.
Wherever I go, there I see Him.
Without the Guru, there is no other Giver. ||3||
The Guru is the ocean, the perfect treasure,
the most precious jewel and priceless ruby.
By Guru's Grace, the Great Giver blesses us;
O Nanak, the Forgiving Lord forgives us. ||4||9||48||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
The Guru is the Ocean; the True Guru is the Embodiment of Truth.
Through perfect good destiny, one serves the Guru.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 018
He alone understands, whom the Lord Himself inspires to understand.
By Guru's Grace, one serves Him. ||1||
With the jewel of spiritual wisdom, total understanding is obtained.
By Guru's Grace, ignorance is dispelled; one then remains wakeful, night and day, and beholds the True Lord. ||1||Pause||
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, attachment and pride are burnt away.
From the Perfect Guru, true understanding is obtained.
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, one realizes the Lord's Presence within.
Then, one's coming and going cease, and one becomes stable, absorbed in the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||2||
The world is tied to birth and death.
The unconscious, self-willed manmukh is enveloped in the darkness of Maya and emotional attachment.
He slanders others, and practices utter falsehood.
He is a maggot in manure, and into manure he is absorbed. ||3||
Joining the True Congregation, the Sat Sangat, total understanding is obtained.
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, devotional love for the Lord is implanted.
One who surrenders to the Lord's Will is peaceful forever.
O Nanak, he is absorbed into the True Lord. ||4||10||49||
Aasaa, Third Mehl, Panch-Padas:
One who dies in the Word of the Shabad, finds eternal bliss.
He is united with the True Guru, the Guru, the Lord God.
He does not die any more, and he does not come or go.
Through the Perfect Guru, he merges with the True Lord. ||1||
One who has the Naam, the Name of the Lord, written in his pre-ordained destiny,
night and day, meditates forever on the Naam; he obtains the wondrous blessing of devotional love from the Perfect Guru. ||1||Pause||
Those, whom the Lord God has blended with Himself
- their sublime state cannot be described.
The Perfect True Guru has given the Glorious Greatness,
of the most exalted order, and I am absorbed into the Lord's Name. ||2||
Whatever the Lord does, He does all by Himself.
In an instant, He establishes, and disestablishes.
By merely speaking, talking, shouting and preaching about the Lord, even hundreds of times, the mortal is not approved. ||3||
The Guru meets with those, who take virtue as their treasure;
they listen to the True Word of the Guru's Bani, the Shabad.
Pain departs, from that place where the Shabad abides.
By the jewel of spiritual wisdom, one is easily absorbed into the True Lord. ||4||
No other wealth is as great as the Naam.
It is bestowed only by the True Lord.
Through the Perfect Word of the Shabad, it abides in the mind.
O Nanak, imbued with the Naam, peace is obtained. ||5||11||50||
Aasaa, Third Mehl:
One may dance and play numerous instruments;
but this mind is blind and deaf, so for whose benefit is this speaking and preaching?
Deep within is the fire of greed, and the dust-storm of doubt.
The lamp of knowledge is not burning, and understanding is not obtained. ||1||
The Gurmukh has the light of devotional worship within his heart.
Understanding his own self, he meets God. ||1||Pause||
The Gurmukh's dance is to embrace love for the Lord;
to the beat of the drum, he sheds his ego from within.
My God is True; He Himself is the Knower of all.
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, recognize the Creator Lord within yourself. ||2||
The Gurmukh is filled with devotional love for the Beloved Lord.
He intuitively reflects upon the Word of the Guru's Shabad.
For the Gurmukh, loving devotional worship is the way to the True Lord.
But the dances and the worship of the hypocrites bring only pain. ||3||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 019
True Devotion is to remain dead while yet alive.
By Guru's Grace, one crosses over the terrible world-ocean.
Through the Guru's Teachings, one's devotion is accepted,
and then, the Dear Lord Himself comes to dwell in the mind. ||4||
When the Lord bestows His Mercy, He leads us to meet the True Guru.
Then, one's devotion becomes steady, and the consciousness is centered upon the Lord.
Those who are imbued with Devotion have truthful reputations.
O Nanak, imbued with the Naam, the Name of the Lord, peace is obtained. ||5||12||51||
Aasaa, Eighth House, Kaafee, Third Mehl:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
By the Pleasure of the Lord's Will, one meets the True Guru, and true understanding is obtained.
By Guru's Grace, the Lord abides in the mind, and one comes to understand the Lord. ||1||
My Husband Lord, the Great Giver, is One. There is no other at all.
By Guru's merciful favor, He abides in the mind, and then, a lasting peace ensues. ||1||Pause||
In this age, the Lord's Name is fearless; it is obtained by meditative reflection upon the Guru.
Without the Name, the blind, foolish, self-willed manmukh is under Death's power. ||2||
By the Pleasure of the Lord's Will, the humble being performs His service, and understands the True Lord.
By the Pleasure of the Lord's Will, He is to be praised; surrendering to His Will, peace ensues. ||3||
By the Pleasure of the Lord's Will, the prize of this human birth is obtained, and the intellect is exalted.
O Nanak, praise the Naam, the Name of the Lord; as Gurmukh, you shall be emancipated. ||4||39||13||52||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl, Second House:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
You are the True Creator, my Lord Master.
That which is pleasing to Your Will, comes to pass. Whatever You give, that is what I receive. ||1||Pause||
All are Yours; all meditate on You.
He alone, whom You bless with Your Mercy, obtains the jewel of the Naam.
The Gurmukhs obtain it, and the self-willed manmukhs lose it.
You Yourself separate the mortals, and You Yourself unite them. ||1||
You are the River - all are within You.
Other than You, there is no one at all.
All beings and creatures are your play-things.
The united ones are separated, and the separated ones are re-united. ||2||
That humble being, whom You inspire to understand, understands;
he continually speaks and chants the Glorious Praises of the Lord.
One who serves the Lord, obtains peace.
He is easily absorbed in the Lord's Name. ||3||
You Yourself are the Creator; by Your doing, all things come to be.
Without You, there is no other at all.
You watch over the creation, and understand it.
O servant Nanak, the Lord is revealed to the Gurmukh. ||4||1||53||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 020
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Raag Aasaa, Second House, Fourth Mehl:
Some form alliances with friends, children and siblings.
Some form alliances with in-laws and relatives.
Some form alliances with chiefs and leaders for their own selfish motives.
My alliance is with the Lord, who is pervading everywhere. ||1||
I have formed my alliance with the Lord; the Lord is my only support.
Other than the Lord, I have no other faction or alliance; I sing of the countless and endless Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||1||Pause||
Those with whom you form alliances, shall perish.
Making false alliances, the mortals repent and regret in the end.
Those who practice falsehood shall not last.
I have formed my alliance with the Lord; there is no one more powerful than Him. ||2||
All these alliances are mere extensions of the love of Maya.
Only fools argue over Maya.
They are born, and they die, and they lose the game of life in the gamble.
My alliance is with the Lord, who embellishes all, in this world and the next. ||3||
In this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, the five thieves instigate alliances and conflicts.
Sexual desire, anger, greed, emotional attachment and self-conceit have increased.
One who is blessed by the Lord's Grace, joins the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation.
My alliance is with the Lord, who has destroyed all these alliances. ||4||
In the false love of duality, people sit and form alliances.
They complain about other peoples' faults, while their own self-conceit only increases.
As they plant, so shall they harvest.
Servant Nanak has joined the Lord's alliance of Dharma, which shall conquer the whole world. ||5||2||54||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
Constantly listening to the Ambrosial Gurbani in the heart, it becomes pleasing to the mind.
Through Gurbani, the Incomprehensible Lord is comprehended. ||1||
As Gurmukh, listen to the Naam, the Name of the Lord, O my sisters.
The One Lord is pervading and permeating deep within the heart; with your mouth, recite the Ambrosial Hymns of the Guru. ||1||Pause||
My mind and body are filled with divine love, and great sadness.
By great good fortune, I have obtained the True Guru, the Primal Being. ||2||
In the love of duality, the mortals wander through poisonous Maya.
The unfortunate ones do not meet the True Guru. ||3||
The Lord Himself inspires us to drink in the Lord's Ambrosial Elixir.
Through the Perfect Guru, O Nanak, the Lord is obtained. ||4||3||55||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
The Love of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is the Support of my mind and body.
I chant the Naam; the Naam is the essence of peace. ||1||
So chant the Naam, O my friends and companions.
Without the Naam, there is nothing else for me. By great good fortune, as Gurmukh, I have received the Lord's Name. ||1||Pause||
Without the Naam, I cannot live.
By great good fortune, the Gurmukhs obtain the Naam. ||2||
Those who lack the Naam have their faces rubbed in the dirt of Maya.
Without the Naam, cursed, cursed are their lives. ||3||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 021
The Great Lord is obtained by great good destiny.
O Nanak, the Gurmukh is blessed with the Naam. ||4||4||56||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
I sing His Glorious Praises, and through the Word of His Bani, I speak His Glorious Praises.
As Gurmukh, I chant and recite the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||1||
Chanting and meditating on the Naam, my mind becomes blissful.
The True Guru has implanted the True Name of the True Lord within me; I sing His Glorious Praises, and taste the supreme ecstasy. ||1||Pause||
The humble servants of the Lord sing the Lord's Glorious Praises.
By great good fortune, the detached, absolute Lord is obtained. ||2||
Those without virtue are stained by Maya's filth.
Lacking virtue, the egotistical die, and suffer reincarnation. ||3||
The ocean of the body yields pearls of virtue.
O Nanak, the Gurmukh churns this ocean, and discovers this essence. ||4||5||57||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
I listen to the Naam, the Name of the Lord; the Naam is pleasing to my mind.
By great good fortune, the Gurmukh obtains the Lord. ||1||
Chant the Naam, as Gurmukh, and be exalted.
Without the Naam, I have no other support; the Naam is woven into all my breaths and morsels of food. ||1||Pause||
The Naam illuminates my mind; listening to it, my mind is pleased.
One who speaks the Naam - he alone is my friend and companion. ||2||
Without the Naam, the fools depart naked.
They burn away to death, chasing the poison of Maya, like the moth chasing the flame. ||3||
He Himself establishes, and, having established, disestablishes.
O Nanak, the Lord Himself bestows the Naam. ||4||6||58||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
The vine of the Lord's Name, Har, Har, has taken root in the Gurmukh.
It bears the fruit of the Lord; its taste is so tasty! ||1||
Chant the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, in endless waves of joy.
Chant and repeat the Naam; through the Guru's Teachings praise the Lord, and slay the horrible serpent of the Messenger of Death. ||1||Pause||
The Lord has implanted His devotional worship in the Guru.
When the Guru is pleased, He bestows it upon His Sikh, O my siblings of Destiny. ||2||
One who acts in ego, knows nothing about the Way.
He acts like an elephant, who takes a bath, and then throws dust on his head. ||3||
If one's destiny is great and exalted,
O Nanak, one chants the Naam, the Name of the Immaculate, True Lord. ||4||7||59||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
My mind suffers hunger for the Name of the Lord, Har, Har.
Hearing the Naam, my mind is satisfied, O my Siblings of Destiny. ||1||
Chant the Naam, O my friends, O GurSikhs.
Chant the Naam, and through the Naam, obtain peace; through the Guru's Teachings, enshrine the Naam in your heart and mind. ||1||Pause||
Hearing the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the mind is in bliss.
Reaping the profit of the Naam, through the Guru's Teachings, my soul has blossomed forth. ||2||
Without the Naam, the mortal is a leper, blinded by emotional attachment.
All his actions are fruitless; they lead only to painful entanglements. ||3||
The very fortunate ones chant the Praises of the Lord, Har, Har, Har.
O Nanak, through the Guru's Teachings, one embraces love for the Naam. ||4||8||60||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 022
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Fourth Mehl, Raag Aasaa, 3 Of Sixth House :
You may pluck the strings with your hand, O Yogi, but your playing of the harp is in vain.
Under Guru's Instruction, chant the Glorious Praises of the Lord, O Yogi, and this mind of yours shall be imbued with the Lord's Love. ||1||
O Yogi, give your intellect the Teachings of the Lord.
The Lord, the One Lord, is pervading throughout all the ages; I humbly bow down to Him. ||1||Pause||
You sing in so many Ragas and harmonies, and you talk so much, but this mind of yours is only playing a game.
You work the well and irrigate the fields, but the oxen have already left to graze in the jungle. ||2||
In the field of the body, plant the Lord's Name, and the Lord will sprout there, like a lush green field.
O mortal, hook up your unstable mind like an ox, and irrigate your fields with the Lord's Name, through the Guru's Teachings. ||3||
The Yogis, the wandering Jangams, and all the world is Yours, O Lord. According to the wisdom which You give them, so do they follow their ways.
O Lord God of servant Nanak, O Inner-knower, Searcher of hearts, please link my mind to You. ||4||9||61||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
How long must one search for angle bells and cymbals, and how long must one play the guitar?
In the brief instant between coming and going, I meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||1||
Such is the devotional love which has been produced in my mind.
Without the Lord, I cannot live even for an instant, like the fish which dies without water. ||1||Pause||
How long must one tune the five strings, and assemble the seven singers, and how long will they raise their voices in song?
In the time it takes to select and assemble these musicians, a moment elapses, and my mind sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||2||
How long must one dance and stretch out one's feet, and how long must one reach out with one's hands?
Stretching out one's hands and feet, there is a moment's delay; and then, my mind meditates on the Lord. ||3||
How long must one satisfy the people, in order to obtain honor?
O servant Nanak, meditate forever in your heart on the Lord, and then everyone will congratulate you. ||4||10||62||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
Join the Sat Sangat, the Lord's True Congregation; joining the Company of the Holy, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord.
With the sparkling jewel of spiritual wisdom, the heart is illumined, and ignorance is dispelled. ||1||
O humble servant of the Lord, let your dancing be meditation on the Lord, Har, Har.
If only I cold meet such Saints, O my Siblings of Destiny; I would wash the feet of such servants. ||1||Pause||
Meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, O my mind; night and day, center your consciousness on the Lord.
You shall have the fruits of your desires, and you shall never feel hunger again. ||2||
The Infinite Lord Himself is the Creator; the Lord Himself speaks, and causes us to speak.
The Saints are good, who are pleasing to Your Will; their honor is approved by You. ||3||
Nanak is not satisfied by chanting the Lord's Glorious Praises; the more he chants them, the more he is at peace.
The Lord Himself has bestowed the treasure of devotional love; His customers purchase virtues, and carry them home. ||4||11||63||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 023
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Raag Aasaa, Eighth House, Kaafee, Fourth Mehl:
Death is ordained from the very beginning, and yet ego makes us cry.
Meditating on the Naam, as Gurmukh, one becomes stable and steady. ||1||
Blessed is the Perfect Guru, through whom the way of Death is known.
The sublime people earn the profit of the Naam, the Name of the Lord; they are absorbed in the Word of the Shabad. ||1||Pause||
The days of one's life are pre-ordained; they will come to their end, O mother.
One must depart, today or tomorrow, according to the Lord's Primal Order. ||2||
Useless are the lives of those, who have forgotten the Naam.
They play the game of chance in this world, and lose their mind. ||3||
Those who have found the Guru are at peace, in life and in death.
O Nanak, the true ones are truly absorbed into the True Lord. ||4||12||64||
Aasaa, Fourth Mehl:
Having obtained the treasure of this human birth, I meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
By Guru's Grace, I understand, and I am absorbed into the True Lord. ||1||
Those who have such pre-ordained destiny practice the Naam.
The True Lord summons the truthful to the Mansion of His Presence. ||1||Pause||
Deep within is the treasure of the Naam; it is obtained by the Gurmukh.
Night and day, meditate on the Naam, and sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||2||
Deep within are infinite substances, but the self-willed manmukh does not find them.
In egotism and pride, the mortal's proud self consumes him. ||3||
O Nanak, his identity consumes his identical identity.
Through the Guru's Teachings, the mind is illumined, and meets the True Lord. ||4||13||65||
Raag Aasaavaree, 2 Of Sixteenth House, Fourth Mehl, Sudhang:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Night and day, I sing the Kirtan, the Praises of the Name of the Lord.
The True Guru has revealed to me the Name of the Lord; without the Lord, I cannot live, for a moment, even an instant. ||1||Pause||
My ears hear the Lord's Kirtan, and I contemplate Him; without the Lord, I cannot live, even for an instant.
As the swan cannot live without the lake, how can the Lord's slave live without serving Him? ||1||
Some enshrine love for duality in their hearts, and some pledge love for worldly attachments and ego.
The Lord's servant embraces love for the Lord and the state of Nirvaanaa; Nanak contemplates the Lord, the Lord God. ||2||14||66||
Aasaavaree, Fourth Mehl:
O mother, my mother, tell me about my Beloved Lord.
Without the Lord, I cannot live for a moment, even an instant; I love Him, like the camel loves the vine. ||1||Pause||
My mind has become sad and distant, longing for the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan, my Friend.
As the bumblebee cannot live without the lotus, I cannot live without the Lord. ||1||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 024
Keep me under Your Protection, O Beloved Master of the Universe; fulfill my faith, O Lord of the World.
Servant Nanak's mind is filled with bliss, when he beholds the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan, even for an instant. ||2||39||13||15||67||
Raag Aasaa, Second House, Fifth Mehl:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
One who loves her, is ultimately devoured.
One who seats her in comfort, is totally terrified by her.
Siblings, friends and family, beholding her, argue.
But she has come under my control, by Guru's Grace. ||1||
Beholding her, all are bewitched:
the strivers, the Siddhas, the demi-gods, angels and mortals. All, except the Saadhus, are deceived by her deception. ||1||Pause||
Some wander around as renunciates, but they are engrossed in sexual desire.
Some grow rich as householders, but she does not belong to them.
Some call themselves men of charity, and she torments them terribly.
The Lord has saved me, by attaching me to the Feet of the True Guru. ||2||
She leads astray the penitents who practice penance.
The scholarly Pandits are all seduced by greed.
The world of the three qualities is enticed, and the heavens are enticed.
The True Guru has saved me, by giving me His Hand. ||3||
She is the slave of those who are spiritually wise.
With her palms pressed together, she serves them and offers her prayer:
"Whatever you wish, that is what I shall do."
O servant Nanak, she does not draw near to the Gurmukh. ||4||1||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
I have been separated from my Beloved by Maya (my mother-in-law).
Hope and desire (my younger brother-in-law and sister-in-law) are dying of grief.
I am no longer swayed by the fear of Death (my elder brother-in-law).
I am protected by my All-knowing, Wise Husband Lord. ||1||
Listen, O people: I have tasted the elixir of love.
The evil ones are dead, and my enemies are destroyed. The True Guru has given me the Name of the Lord. ||1||Pause||
First, I renounced my egotistical love of myself.
Second, I renounced the ways of the world.
Renouncing the three qualities, I look alike upon friend and enemy.
And then, the fourth state of bliss was revealed to me by the Holy One. ||2||
In the cave of celestial bliss, I have obtained a seat.
The Lord of Light plays the unstruck melody of bliss.
I am in ecstasy, contemplating the Word of the Guru's Shabad.
Imbued with my Beloved Husband Lord, I am the blessed, happy soul-bride. ||3||
Servant Nanak chants the wisdom of God;
one who listens and practices it, is carried across and saved.
He is not born, and he does not die; he does not come or go.
He remains blended with the Lord. ||4||2||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
The bride shows such special devotion, and has such an agreeable disposition.
Her beauty is incomparable, and her character is perfect.
The house in which she dwells is such a praiseworthy house.
But rare are those who, as Gurmukh, attain that state||1||
As the soul-bride of pure actions, I have met with the Guru.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 025
In worship, marriage and in the next world, such a soul-bride looks beautiful. ||1||Pause||
As long as she lived with her father,
her Husband wandered around in sadness.
I served and surrendered to the Lord, the True Being;
the Guru brought my bride to my home, and I obtained total happiness. ||2||
She is blessed with all sublime attributes, and her generations are unblemished.
Her Husband, her Lord and Master, fulfills her heart's desires.
Hope and desire (my younger brother-in-law and sister-in-law) are now totally content. ||3||
She is the most noble of all the family.
She counsels and advises her hope and desire.
How blessed is that household, in which she has appeared.
O servant Nanak, she passes her time in perfect peace and comfort. ||4||3||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Whatever I resolve, she does not allow it to come to pass.
She stands blocking the way of goodness and self-discipline.
She wears many disguises, and assumes many forms,
and she does not allow me to dwell in my own home. She forces me to wander around in different directions. ||1||
She has become the mistress of my home, and she does not allow me to live in it.
If I try, she fights with me. ||1||Pause||
In the beginning, she was sent as a helper,
but she has overwhelmed the nine continents, all places and interspaces.
She has not spared even the river banks, the sacred shrines of pilgrimage, the Yogis and Sannyaasees,
or those who tirelessly read the Simritees and study the Vedas. ||2||
Wherever I sit, she sits there with me.
She has imposed her power upon the whole world.
Seeking meager protection, I am not protected from her.
Tell me, O my friend: unto whom should I turn for protection? ||3||
I heard of His Teachings, and so I have come to the True Guru.
The Guru has implanted the Mantra of the Lord's Name, Har, Har, within me.
And now, I dwell in the home of my own inner self; I sing the Glorious Praises of the Infinite Lord.
I have met God, O Nanak, and I have become care-free. ||4||
My home is now my own, and she is now my mistress.
She is now my servant, and the Guru has made me intimate with the Lord. ||1||Second Pause||4||4||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
First, they advised me to send a letter.
Second, they advised me to send two men.
Third, they advised me to make the effort and do something.
But I have renounced everything, and I meditate only on You, God. ||1||
Now, I am totally blissful, carefree and at ease.
The enemies and evil-doers have perished, and I have obtained peace. ||1||Pause||
The True Guru has imparted the Teachings to me.
My soul, body and everything belong to the Lord.
Whatever I do, is by Your Almighty Power.
You are my only Support, You are my only Court. ||2||
If I were to renounce You, God, unto whom could I turn?
There is no other, comparable to You.
Who else is Your servant to serve?
The faithless cynics are deluded; they wander around in the wilderness. ||3||
Your Glorious Greatness cannot be described.
Wherever I am, you save me, hugging me close in Your embrace.
Nanak, Your slave, has entered Your Sanctuary.
God has preserved his honor, and congratulations are pouring in. ||4||5||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 026
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Having wandered through foreign lands, I have come here to do business.
I heard of the incomparable and profitable merchandise.
I have gathered in my pockets my capital of virtue, and I have brought it here with me.
Beholding the jewel, this mind is fascinated. ||1||
I have come to the door of the Trader.
Please display the merchandise, so that the business may be transacted. ||1||Pause||
The Trader has sent me to the Banker.
The jewel is priceless, and the capital is priceless.
O my gentle brother, mediator and friend
- I have obtained the merchandise, and my consciousness is now steady and stable. ||2||
I have no fear of thieves, of wind or water.
I have easily made my purchase, and I easily take it away.
I have earned Truth, and I shall have no pain.
I have brought this merchandise home, safe and sound. ||3||
I have earned the profit, and I am happy.
Blessed is the Banker, the Perfect Bestower.
How rare is the Gurmukh who obtains this merchandise;
Nanak has brought this profitable merchandise home. ||4||6||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
He does not consider my merits or demerits.
He does not look at my beauty, color or decorations.
I do not know the ways of wisdom and good conduct.
But taking me by the arm, my Husband Lord has led me to His Bed. ||1||
Hear, O my companions, my Husband, my Lord Master, possesses me.
Placing His Hand upon my forehead, He protects me as His Own. What do these ignorant people know? ||1||Pause||
My married life now appears so beauteous;
my Husband Lord has met me, and He sees all my pains.
Within the courtyard of my heart, the glory of the moon shines.
Night and day, I have fun with my Beloved. ||2||
My clothes are dyed the deep crimson color of the poppy.
All the ornaments and garlands around my neck adorn me.
Gazing upon my Beloved with my eyes, I have obtained all treasures;
I have shaken off the power of the evil demons. ||3||
I have obtained eternal bliss, and I constantly celebrate.
With the nine treasures of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, I am satisfied in my own home.
Says Nanak, when the happy soul-bride is adorned by her Beloved,
she is forever happy with her Husband Lord. ||4||7||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
They give you donations and worship you.
You take from them, and then deny that they have given anything to you.
That door, through which you must ultimately go, O Brahmin
- at that door, you will come to regret and repent. ||1||
Such Brahmins shall drown, O Siblings of Destiny;
they think of doing evil to the innocent. ||1||Pause||
Within them is greed, and they wander around like mad dogs.
They slander others and carry loads of sin upon their heads.
Intoxicated by Maya, they do not think of the Lord.
Deluded by doubt, they wander off on many paths. ||2||
Outwardly, they wear various religious robes,
but within, they are enveloped by poison.
They instruct others, but do not understand themselves.
Such Brahmins will never be emancipated. ||3||
O foolish Brahmin, reflect upon God.
He watches and hears, and is always with you.
Says Nanak, if this is your destiny,
renounce your pride, and grasp the Guru's Feet. ||4||8||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 027
Pain and disease have left my body, and my mind has become pure; I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, Har, Har.
I am in bliss, meeting with the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and now, my mind does not go wandering. ||1||
My burning desires are quenched, through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, O mother.
The fever of doubt has been totally eliminated; meeting the Guru, I am cooled and soothed, with intuitive ease. ||1||Pause||
My wandering has ended, since I have realized the One and Only Lord; now, I have come to dwell in the eternal place.
Your Saints are the Saving Grace of the world; beholding the Blessed Vision of their Darshan, I remain satisfied. ||2||
I have left behind the sins of countless incarnations, now that I have grasped the feet of the eternal Holy Guru.
My mind sings the celestial melody of bliss,
and death shall no longer consume it. ||3||
My Lord, the Cause of all causes, is All-powerful, the Giver of peace; He is my Lord, my Lord King.
Nanak lives by chanting Your Name, O Lord; You are my helper, with me, through and through. ||4||9||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
The slanderer cries out and bewails.
He has forgotten the Supreme Lord, the Transcendent Lord; the slanderer reaps the rewards of his own actions. ||1||Pause||
If someone is his companion, then he shall be taken along with him.
Like the dragon, the slanderer carries his huge, useless loads, and burns in his own fire. ||1||
Nanak proclaims and announces what happens at the Door of the Transcendent Lord.
The humble devotees of the Lord are forever in bliss; singing the Kirtan of the Lord's Praises, they blossom forth. ||2||10||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Even though I totally decorated myself,
still, my mind was not satisfied.
I applied various scented oils to my body,
and yet, I did not obtain even a tiny bit of pleasure from this.
Within my mind, I hold such a desire,
that I may live only to behold my Beloved, O my mother. ||1||
O mother, what should I do? This mind cannot rest.
It is bewitched by the tender love of my Beloved. ||1||Pause||
Garments, ornaments, and such exquisite pleasures
- I look upon these as of no account.
Likewise, honor, fame, dignity and greatness,
obedience by the whole world,
and a household as beautiful as a jewel.
If I am pleasing to God's Will, then I shall be blessed, and forever in bliss. ||2||
With foods and delicacies of so many different kinds,
and such abundant pleasures and entertainments,
power and property and absolute command
- with these, the mind is not satisfied, and its thirst is not quenched.
Without meeting Him, this day does not pass.
Meeting God, I find peace. ||3||
By searching and seeking, I have heard this news,
that without the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, no one swims across.
One who has this good destiny written upon his forehead, finds the True Guru.
His hopes are fulfilled, and his mind is satisfied.
When one meets God, then his thirst is quenched.
Nanak has found the Lord, within his mind and body. ||4||11||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl, Panch-Padas:
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 028
First, your social status is high.
Second, you are honored in society.
Third, your home is beautiful.
But you are so ugly, with self-conceit in your mind. ||1||
O beautiful, attractive, wise and clever woman:
you have been trapped by your pride and attachment. ||1||Pause||
Your kitchen is so clean.
You take your bath, and worship, and apply the crimson mark upon your forehead;
with your mouth you speak wisdom, but you are destroyed by pride.
The dog of greed has ruined you in every way. ||2||
You wear your robes and enjoy pleasures;
you practice good conduct to impress people;
you apply scented oils of sandalwood and musk,
but your constant companion is the demon of anger. ||3||
Other people may be your water-carriers;
in this world, you may be a ruler.
Gold, silver and wealth may be yours,
but the goodness of your conduct has been destroyed by sexual promiscuity. ||4||
That soul, upon whom the Lord has bestowed His Glance of Grace,
is delivered from bondage.
Joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, the Lord's sublime essence is obtained.
Says Nanak, how fruitful is that body. ||5||
All graces and all comforts shall come to you, as the happy soul-bride;
you shall be supremely beautiful and wise. ||1||Second Pause||12||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl, Ik-Tukas 2 :
One who is seen to be alive, shall surely die.
But he who is dead shall remain ever-lasting. ||1||
Those who die while yet alive, shall through this death, live on.
They place the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, as medicine in their mouths, and through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, they drink in the Ambrosial Nectar. ||1||Pause||
The clay pot of the body shall be broken.
One who has eliminated the three qualities dwells in the home of his inner self. ||2||
One who climbs high, shall fall into the nether regions of the underworld.
One who lies upon the ground, shall not be touched by death. ||3||
Those who continue to wander around, achieve nothing.
Those who practice the Guru's Teachings, become steady and stable. ||4||
This body and soul all belong to the Lord.
O Nanak, meeting the Guru, I am enraptured. ||5||13||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
The puppet of the body has been fashioned with great skill.
Know for sure that it shall turn to dust. ||1||
Remember your origins, O thoughtless fool.
Why are you so proud of yourself? ||1||Pause||
You are a guest, given three meals a day;
other things are entrusted to you. ||2||
you are just excrement, bones and blood, wrapped up in skin
- this is what you are taking such pride in! ||3||
If you could understand even one thing, then you would be pure.
Without understanding, you shall be forever impure. ||4||
Says Nanak, I am a sacrifice to the Guru;
through Him, I obtain the Lord, the All-knowing Primal Being. ||5||14||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl, Ik-Tukas, Chau-Padas:
One moment, one day, is for me many days.
My mind cannot survive - how can I meet my Beloved? ||1||
I cannot endure one day, even one instant without Him.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 029
My mind's desire for the Blessed Vision of His Darshan is so great. Is there any Saint who can lead me to meet my Beloved? ||1||Pause||
The four watches of the day are like the four ages.
And when night comes, I think that it shall never end. ||2||
The five demons have joined together, to separate me from my Husband Lord.
Wandering and rambling, I cry out and wring my hands. ||3||
The Lord has revealed the Blessed Vision of His Darshan to servant Nanak;
realizing his own self, he has obtained supreme peace. ||4||15||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
In the Lord's service, are the greatest treasures.
Serving the Lord, the Ambrosial Naam comes into one's mouth. ||1||
The Lord is my Companion; He is with me, as my Help and Support.
In pain and pleasure, whenever I remember Him, He is present. How can the poor Messenger of Death frighten me now? ||1||Pause||
The Lord is my Support; the Lord is my Power.
The Lord is my Friend; He is my mind's advisor. ||2||
The Lord is my capital; the Lord is my credit.
As Gurmukh, I earn the wealth, with the Lord as my Banker. ||3||
By Guru's Grace, this wisdom has come.
Servant Nanak has merged into the Being of the Lord. ||4||16||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
When God shows His Mercy, then this mind is focused on Him.
Serving the True Guru, all rewards are obtained. ||1||
O my mind, why are you so sad? My True Guru is Perfect.
He is the Giver of blessings, the treasure of all comforts; His Ambrosial Pool of Nectar is always overflowing. ||1||Pause||
One who enshrines His Lotus Feet within the heart,
meets the Beloved Lord; the Divine Light is revealed to him. ||2||
The five companions have met together to sing the songs of joy.
The unstruck melody, the sound current of the Naad, vibrates and resounds. ||3||
O Nanak, when the Guru is totally pleased, one meets the Lord, the King.
Then, the night of one's life passes in peace and natural ease. ||4||17||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Showing His Mercy, the Lord has revealed Himself to me.
Meeting the True Guru, I have received the perfect wealth. ||1||
Gather such a wealth of the Lord, O Siblings of Destiny.
It cannot be burned by fire, and water cannot drown it; it does not forsake society, or go anywhere else. ||1||Pause||
It does not run short, and it does not run out.
Eating and consuming it, the mind remains satisfied. ||2||
He is the true banker, who gathers the wealth of the Lord within his own home.
With this wealth, the whole world profits. ||3||
He alone receives the Lord's wealth, who is pre-ordained to receive it.
O servant Nanak, at that very last moment, the Naam shall be your only decoration. ||4||18||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Just like the farmer, He plants His crop,
and, whether it is ripe or unripe, He cuts it down. ||1||
Just so, you must know this well, that whoever is born, shall die.
Only the devotee of the Lord of the Universe becomes stable and permanent. ||1||Pause||
The day shall certainly be followed by the night.
And when the night passes, the morning shall again dawn. ||2||
In the love of Maya, the unfortunate ones remain in sleep.
By Guru's Grace, a rare few remain awake and aware. ||3||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 030
Says Nanak, sing continually the Glorious Praises of the Lord.
Your face shall be radiant, and your consciousness shall be immaculately pure. ||4||19||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
The nine treasures are Yours - all treasures are Yours.
The Fulfiller of desires saves mortals in the end. ||1||
You are my Beloved, so what hunger can I have?
When You dwell within my mind, pain does not touch me. ||1||Pause||
Whatever You do, is acceptable to me.
O True Lord and Master, True is Your Order. ||2||
When it is pleasing to Your Will, I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord.
Within Your Home, there is justice, forever and ever. ||3||
O True Lord and Master, You are unknowable and mysterious.
Nanak is committed to Your service. ||4||20||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
He is near at hand; He is the eternal Companion of the soul.
His Creative Power is all-pervading, in form and color. ||1||
My mind does not worry; it does not grieve, or cry out.
Imperishable, Unshakable, Unapproachable and forever safe and sound is my Husband Lord. ||1||Pause||
Unto whom does Your servant pay homage?
His King preserves his honor. ||2||
That slave, whom God has released from the restrictions of social status
- who can now hold him in bondage? ||3||
The Lord is absolutely independent, and totally care-free;
O servant Nanak, chant His Glorious Praises. ||4||21||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Forsaking the Lord's sublime essence, the mortal is intoxicated with false essences.
The substance is within the home of the self, but the mortal goes out to find it. ||1||
He cannot hear the true ambrosial discourse.
Attached to false scriptures, he is engaged in argument. ||1||Pause||
He takes his wages from his Lord and Master, but he serves another.
With such sins, the mortal is engrossed. ||2||
He tries to hide from the One who is always with him.
He begs from Him, again and again. ||3||
Says Nanak, God is merciful to the meek.
As it pleases Him, He cherishes us. ||4||22||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
The Naam, the Name of the Lord, is my soul, my life, my wealth.
Here and hereafter, it is with me, to help me. ||1||
Without the Lord's Name, everything else is useless.
My mind is satisfied and satiated by the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan. ||1||Pause||
Gurbani is the jewel, the treasure of devotion.
Singing, hearing and acting upon it, one is enraptured. ||2||
My mind is attached to the Lord's Lotus Feet.
The True Guru, in His Pleasure, has given this gift. ||3||
Unto Nanak, the Guru has revealed these instructions:
recognize the Imperishable Lord God in each and every heart. ||4||23||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
The All-pervading Lord has established joys and celebrations.
He Himself embellishes His own works. ||1||
Perfect is the Creation of the Perfect Lord Master.
His magnificent greatness is totally all-pervading. ||1||Pause||
His Name is the treasure; His reputation is immaculate.
He Himself is the Creator; there is no other. ||2||
All beings and creatures are in His Hands.
God is pervading in all, and is always with them. ||3||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 031
The Perfect Guru has fashioned His perfect fashion.
O Nanak, the Lord's devotees are blessed with glorious greatness. ||4||24||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
I have shaped this mind in the mold of the Guru's Word.
Beholding the Blessed Vision of the Guru's Darshan, I have gathered the wealth of the Lord. ||1||
O sublime understanding, come, enter into my mind,
that I may meditate and sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe, and love so dearly the Lord's Name. ||1||Pause||
I am satisfied and satiated by the True Name.
My cleansing bath at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage is the dust of the Saints. ||2||
I recognize that the One Creator is contained in all.
Joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, my understanding is refined. ||3||
I have become the servant of all; I have renounced my ego and pride.
The Guru has given this gift to Nanak. ||4||25||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
My intellect has been enlightened, and my understanding is perfect.
Thus my evil-mindedness, which kept me far from Him, has been removed. ||1||
Such are the Teachings which I have received from the Guru;
while I was drowning in the pitch black well, I was saved, O my Siblings of Destiny. ||1||Pause||
The Guru is the boat to cross over the totally unfathomable ocean of fire; He is treasure of jewels. ||2||
This ocean of Maya is dark and treacherous.
The Perfect Guru has revealed the way to cross over it. ||3||
I do not have the ability to chant or practice intense meditation.
Guru Nanak seeks Your Sanctuary. ||4||26||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl, Ti-Padas:
One who drinks in the Lord's sublime essence is forever imbued with it,
while other essences wear off in an instant.
Intoxicated with the Lord's sublime essence, the mind is forever in ecstasy.
Other essences bring only anxiety. ||1||
One who drinks in the Lord's sublime essence, is intoxicated and enraptured;
all other essences have no effect. ||1||Pause||
The value of the Lord's sublime essence cannot be described.
The Lord's sublime essence permeates the homes of the Holy.
One may spend thousands and millions, but it cannot be purchased.
He alone obtains it, who is so pre-ordained. ||2||
Tasting it, Nanak is wonder-struck.
Through the Guru, Nanak has obtained this taste.
Here and hereafter, it does not leave him.
Nanak is imbued and enraptured with the Lord's subtle essence. ||3||27||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
If she renounces and eliminates her sexual desire, anger, greed and attachment, and her evil-mindedness and self-conceit as well;
and if, becoming humble, she serves Him, then she becomes dear to her Beloved's Heart. ||1||
Listen, O beautiful soul-bride: By the Word of the Holy Saint, you shall be saved.
Your pain, hunger and doubt shall vanish, and you shall obtain peace, O happy soul-bride. ||1||Pause||
Washing the Guru's feet, and serving Him, the soul is sanctified, and the thirst for sin is quenched.
If you become the slave of the slave of the Lord's slaves, then you shall obtain honor in the Court of the Lord. ||2||
This is right conduct, and this is the correct lifestyle, to obey the Command of the Lord's Will; this is your devotional worship.
One who practices this Mantra, O Nanak, swims across the terrifying world-ocean. ||3||28||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 032
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl, Du-Padas:
You have been blessed with this human body.
This is your chance to meet the Lord of the Universe.
Other efforts are of no use to you.
Joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, vibrate and meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||1||
Make the effort, and cross over the terrifying world ocean.
This human life is passing away in vain, in the love of Maya. ||1||Pause||
I have not practiced meditation, penance, self-restraint or righteous living;
I have not served the Holy Saints, and I do not know the Lord, my King.
Says Nanak, my actions are vile and despicable;
O Lord, I seek Your Sanctuary - please, preserve my honor. ||2||29||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Without You, there is no other for me; You alone are in my mind.
You are my Friend and Companion, God; why should my soul be afraid? ||1||
You are my support, You are my hope.
While sitting down or standing up, while sleeping or waking, with every breath and morsel of food, I never forget You. ||1||Pause||
Protect me, please protect me, O God; I have come to Your Sanctuary; the ocean of fire is so horrible.
The True Guru is the Giver of peace to Nanak; I am Your child, O Lord of the World. ||2||30||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
The Lord God has saved me, His slave.
My mind has surrendered to my Beloved; my fever has taken poison and died. ||1||Pause||
Cold and heat do not touch me at all, when I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord.
My consciousness is not affected by the witch, Maya; I take to the Sanctuary of the Lord's Lotus Feet. ||1||
By the Grace of the Saints, the Lord has shown His Mercy to me; He Himself is my Help and Support.
Nanak ever sings the Praises of the Lord, the treasure of excellence; his doubts and pains are eliminated. ||2||31||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
I have taken the medicine of the Name of the Lord.
I have found peace, and the seat of pain has been removed. ||1||
The fever has been broken, by the Teachings of the Perfect Guru.
I am in ecstasy, and all of my sorrows have been dispelled. ||1||Pause||
All beings and creatures obtain peace,
O Nanak, meditating on the Supreme Lord God. ||2||32||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
That time, which the mortal does not wish for, eventually comes.
Without the Lord's Command, how can understanding be understood? ||1||
The body is consumed by water, fire and earth.
But the soul is neither young nor old, O Siblings of Destiny. ||1||Pause||
Servant Nanak has entered the Sanctuary of the Holy.
By Guru's Grace, he has shaken off the fear of death. ||2||33||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Forever and ever, the soul is illumined;
in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, it dwells at the Feet of the Lord. ||1||
Chant the Lord's Name each and every day, O my mind.
You shall find lasting peace, contentment and tranquility, and all your sins shall depart. ||1||Pause||
Says Nanak, one who is blessed with perfect good karma,
meets the True Guru, and obtains the Perfect Supreme Lord God. ||2||34||
Thirty-four Shabads in Second House. ||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
She who has the Lord God as her Friend
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 033
her pain is dispelled, and she shall not become sad again. ||1||Pause||
Showing His Mercy, He joins her with His Feet,
and she attains celestial peace, joy and comfort. ||1||
In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, she sings the Glorious Praises of the Immeasurable Lord.
Remembering the Lord in meditation, O Nanak, she becomes invaluable. ||2||35||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Sexual desire, anger, intoxication with Maya and jealousy - I have lost all of these in the game of chance.
Purity, contentment, compassion, faith and truthfulness - I have ushered these into the home of my self. ||1||
All the loads of birth and death have been removed.
Joining the Saints' Society, my mind has become pure; the Perfect Guru has saved me in an instant. ||1||Pause||
My mind has become the dust of all, and everyone seems a sweet friend to me.
My Lord and Master is contained in all. He gives His Gifts to all beings, and cherishes them. ||2||
He Himself is the One and only; from the One, the One and only, came the expanse of the entire creation.
Chanting and meditating, all the humble beings have become Holy; meditating on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, so many have been saved. ||3||
The Lord of the Universe is deep, profound and infinite; He has no end or limitation.
By Your Grace, Nanak sings Your Glorious Praises; meditating, meditating, he humbly bows to God. ||4||36||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
You are Infinite, Eternal and Incomprehensible; all this is Your Creation.
What clever games can we play, when everything is contained in You? ||1||
O my True Guru, protect me, Your child, through the power of Your play.
Grant me the good sense to ever sing Your Glorious Praises, O my Inaccessible and Infinite Lord and Master. ||1||Pause||
The mortal is preserved in the womb of his mother, by the Support of the Naam, the Name of the Lord;
he makes merry, and with each and every breath he remembers the Lord, and the fire does not touch him. ||2||
Others' wealth, others' wives, and the slander of others - renounce your craving for these.
Serve the Lord's Lotus Feet within your heart, and hold to the Support of the Perfect Guru. ||3||
Houses, mansions and palaces which you see - none of these shall go with you.
As long as you live in this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, O servant Nanak, remember the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||4||37||
Aasaa, Third House, Fifth Mehl:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Power, property, youth, household, fame and the beauty of youth;
great wealth, elephants, horses and jewels, purchased with tens of thousands of dollars;
hereafter, these shall be of no avail in the Court of the Lord; the proud must depart, leaving them behind. ||1||
Why center your consciousness on any other than the Lord?
Sitting down, standing up, sleeping and waking, forever and ever, meditate on the Lord. ||1||Pause||
He may have the most wondrous and beautiful arenas, and be victorious on the field of battle.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 034
He may proclaim, "I can kill anyone, I can capture anyone, and I can release anyone."
But when the Order comes from the Supreme Lord God, he departs and leaves in a day. ||2||
He may perform all sorts of religious rituals and good actions, but he does not know the Creator Lord, the Doer of all.
He teaches, but does not practice what he preaches; he does not realize the essential reality of the Word of the Shabad.
Naked he came, and naked he shall depart; he is like an elephant, throwing dust on himself. ||3||
O Saints, and friends, listen to me: all this world is false.
Continually claiming, "Mine, mine", the mortals are drowned; the fools waste away and die.
Meeting the Guru, O Nanak, I meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord; through the True Name, I am emancipated. ||4||1||38||
Raag Aasaa, Fifth House, Fifth Mehl:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
The whole world is asleep in doubt; it is blinded by worldly entanglements.
How rare is that humble servant of the Lord who is awake and aware. ||1||
The mortal is intoxicated with the great enticement of Maya, which is dearer to him than life.
How rare is the one who renounces it. ||2||
The Lord's Lotus Feet are incomparably beautiful; so is the Mantra of the Saint.
How rare is that holy person who is attached to them. ||3||
O Nanak, in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, the love of divine knowledge is awakened;
the Lord's Mercy is bestowed upon those who are blessed with such good destiny. ||4||1||39||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Raag Aasaa, Sixth House, Fifth Mehl:
Whatever pleases You is acceptable to me; that alone brings peace and ease to my mind.
You are the Doer, the Cause of causes, All-powerful and Infinite; there is none other than You. ||1||
Your humble servants sing Your Glorious Praises with enthusiasm and love.
That alone is good advice, wisdom and cleverness for Your humble servant, which You do or cause to be done. ||1||Pause||
Your Name is Ambrosial Nectar, O Beloved Lord; in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, I have obtained its sublime essence.
Those humble beings are satisfied and fulfilled, singing the Praises of the Lord, the treasure of peace. ||2||
One who has Your Support, O Lord Master, is not afflicted by anxiety.
One who is blessed by Your Kind Mercy, is the best, the most fortunate king. ||3||
Doubt, attachment, and deceit have all disappeared, since I obtained the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan.
Dealing in the Naam, O Nanak, we become truthful, and in the Love of the Lord's Name, we are absorbed. ||4||1 | 40||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
He washes off the filth of other peoples' incarnations, but he obtains the rewards of his own actions.
He has no peace in this world, and he has no place in the Court of the Lord. In the City of Death, he is tortured. ||1||
The slanderer loses his life in vain.
He cannot succeed in anything, and in the world hereafter, he finds no place at all. ||1||Pause||
Such is the fate of the wretched slanderer - what can the poor creature do?
He is ruined there, where no one can protect him; with whom should he lodge his complaint? ||2||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 035
The slanderer shall never attain emancipation; this is the Will of the Lord and Master.
The more the Saints are slandered, the more they dwell in peace. ||3||
The Saints have Your Support, O Lord and Master; You are the Saints' Help and Support.
Says Nanak, the Saints are saved by the Lord; the slanderers are drowned in the deep. ||4||2||41||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
He washes outwardly, but within, his mind is filthy; thus he loses his place in both worlds.
Here, he is engrossed in sexual desire, anger and emotional attachment; hereafter, he shall sigh and weep. ||1||
The way to vibrate and meditate on the Lord of the Universe is different.
Destroying the snake-hole, the snake is not killed; the deaf person does not hear the Lord's Name. ||1||Pause||
He renounces the affairs of Maya, but he does not appreciate the value of devotional worship.
He finds fault with the Vedas and the Shaastras, and does not know the essence of Yoga. ||2||
He stands exposed, like a counterfeit coin, when inspected by the Lord, the Assayer.
The Inner-knower, the Searcher of hearts, knows everything; how can we hide anything from Him? ||3||
Through falsehood, fraud and deceit, the mortal collapses in an instant - he has no foundation at all.
Truly, truly, truly, Nanak speaks; look within your own heart, and realize this. ||4||3||42||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Making the effort, the mind becomes pure; in this dance, the self is silenced.
The five passions are kept under control, and the One Lord dwells in the mind. ||1||
Your humble servant dances and sings Your Glorious Praises.
He plays upon the guitar, tambourine and cymbals, and the unstruck sound current of the Shabad resounds. ||1||Pause||
First, he instructs his own mind, and then, he leads others.
He chants the Lord's Name and meditates on it in his heart; with his mouth, he announces it to all. ||2||
He joins the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and washes their feet; he applies the dust of the Saints to his body
He surrenders his mind and body, and places them before the Guru; thus, he obtains the true wealth. ||3||
Whoever listens to, and beholds the Guru with faith, shall see his pains of birth and death taken away.
Such a dance eliminates hell; O Nanak, the Gurmukh remains wakeful. ||4||4||43||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
The lowly outcaste becomes a Brahmin, and the untouchable sweeper becomes pure and sublime.
The burning desire of the nether regions and the etheric realms is finally quenched and extinguished. ||1||
The house-cat has been taught otherwise, and is terrified upon seeing the mouse.
The Guru has put the tiger under the control of the sheep, and now, the dog eats grass. ||1||Pause||
Without pillars, the roof is supported, and the homeless have found a home.
Without the jeweller, the jewel has been set, and the wonderful stone shines forth. ||2||
The claimant does not succeed by placing his claim, but by keeping silent, he obtains justice.
The dead sit on costly carpets, and what is seen with the eyes shall vanish. ||3||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 036
One who claims to know, is ignorant; he does not know the Knower of all.
Says Nanak, the Guru has given me the Ambrosial Nectar to drink in; savoring it and relishing it, I blossom forth in bliss. ||4||5||44||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
He has cut away my bonds, and overlooked my shortcomings, and so He has confirmed His nature.
Becoming merciful to me, like a mother or a father, he has come to cherish me as His own child. ||1||
The GurSikhs are preserved by the Guru, by the Lord of the Universe.
He rescues them from the terrible world ocean, casting His Glance of Grace upon them. ||1||Pause||
Meditating in remembrance on Him, we escape from the Messenger of Death; here and hereafter, we obtain peace.
With every breath and morsel of food, meditate, and chant with your tongue, continually, each and every day; sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||2||
Through loving devotional worship, the supreme status is obtained, and in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, sorrows are dispelled.
I am not worn down, I do not die, and nothing strikes fear in me, since I have the wealth of the Lord's Immaculate Name in my purse. ||3||
At the very last moment, God becomes the mortal's Help and Support; here and hereafter, He is the Savior Lord.
He is my breath of life, my friend, support and wealth; O Nanak, I am forever a sacrifice to Him. ||4||6||45||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Since You are my Lord and Master, what is there for me to fear? Other than You, who else should I praise?
You are the One and only, and so do all things exist; without You, there is nothing at all for me. ||1||
O Father, I have seen that the world is poison.
Save me, O Lord of the Universe! Your Name is my only Support. ||1||Pause||
You know completely the condition of my mind; who else could I go to tell of it?
Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the whole world has gone crazy; obtaining the Naam, it finds peace. ||2||
What shall I say? Unto whom shall I speak? What I have to say, I say to God.
Everything which exists was created by You. You are my hope, forever and ever. ||3||
If you bestow greatness, then it is Your greatness; here and hereafter, I meditate on You.
The Lord God of Nanak is forever the Giver of peace; Your Name is my only strength. ||4||7||46||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Your Name is Ambrosial Nectar, O Lord Master; Your humble servant drinks in this supreme elixir.
The fearful load of sins from countless incarnations has vanished; doubt and duality are also dispelled. ||1||
I live by beholding the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan.
Listening to Your Words, O True Guru, my mind and body are cooled and soothed. ||1||Pause||
By Your Grace, I have joined the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy; You Yourself have caused this to happen.
Holding fast to Your Feet, O God, the poison is easily neutralized. ||2||
Your Name, O God, is the treasure of peace; I have received this everlasting Mantra.
Showing His Mercy, the True Guru has given it to me, and my fever and pain and hatred are annulled. ||3||
Blessed is the attainment of this human body, by which God blends Himself with me.
Blessed, in this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, is the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, where the Kirtan of the Lord's Praises are sung.O Nanak, the Naam is my only Support. ||4||8||47||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 037
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Everything is pre-ordained; what else can be known through study?
The errant child has been forgiven by the Supreme Lord God. ||1||
My True Guru is always merciful; He has saved me, the meek one.
He has cured me of my disease, and I have obtained the greatest peace; He has placed the Ambrosial Name of the Lord in my mouth. ||1||Pause||
He has washed away my countless sins; He has cut away my bonds, and I am liberated.
He has taken me by the arm, and pulled me out of the terrible, deep dark pit. ||2||
I have become fearless, and all my fears have been erased. The Savior Lord has saved me.
Such is Your generosity, O my God, that You have resolved all my affairs. ||3||
My mind has met with my Lord and Master, the treasure of excellence.
Taking to His Sanctuary, Nanak has become blissful. ||4||9||48||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
If I forget You, then everyone becomes my enemy. When You come to mind, then they serve me.
I do not know any other at all, O True, Invisible, Inscrutable Lord. ||1||
When You come to mind, You are always merciful to me; what can the poor people do to me?
Tell me, who should I call good or bad, since all beings are Yours? ||1||Pause||
You are my Shelter, You are my Support; giving me Your hand, You protect me.
That humble being, upon whom You bestow Your Grace, is not touched by slander or suffering. ||2||
That is peace, and that is greatness, which is pleasing to the mind of the Dear Lord God.
You are all-knowing, You are forever compassionate; obtaining Your Name, I revel in it and make merry. ||3||
I offer my prayer to You; my body and soul are all Yours.
Says Nanak, this is all Your greatness; no one even knows my name. ||4||10||49||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Show Your Mercy, O God, O Searcher of hearts, that in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, I might obtain You, Lord.
When You open Your Door, and reveal the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan, the mortal is not relegated to reincarnation again. ||1||
Meeting with my Beloved Lord aand Master, all my pains are taken away.
I am saved and carried across, in the company of those who remember the Supreme Lord God in their hearts. ||1||Pause||
This world is a great wilderness, an ocean of fire, in which mortals abide, in pleasure and pain.
Meeting with the True Guru, the mortal becomes immaculately pure; with his tongue, he chants the Ambrosial Name of the Lord. ||2||
He preserves his body and wealth, and takes everything as his own; such are the subtle bonds which bind him.
By Guru's Grace, the mortal becomes liberated, meditating on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. ||3||
God, the Savior, has saved those, who are pleasing to the Will of God.
The soul and body are all Yours, O Great Giver; O Nanak, I am forever a sacrifice. ||4||11||50||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
You have avoided the slumber of attachment and impurity - by whose favor has this happened?
The great enticer does not affect you. Where has your laziness gone? ||1||Pause||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 038
How have you escaped from the treachery of sexual desire, anger and egotism?
The holy beings, angels and demons of the three qualities, and all the worlds have been plundered. ||1||
The forest fire has burnt down so much of the grass; how rare are the plants which have remained green.
He is so All-powerful, that I cannot even describe Him; no one can chant His Praises. ||2||
In the store-room of the lamp-black, I did not turn black; my color remained immaculate and pure.
The Guru has implanted the Maha Mantra, the Great Mantra, within my heart, and I have heard the wondrous Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||3||
Showing His Mercy, God has looked upon me with favor, and He has attached me to His feet.
Through loving devotional worship, O Nanak, I have obtained peace; in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, I am absorbed into the Lord. ||4||12||51||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Raag Aasaa, Seventh House, Fifth Mehl:
That red dress looks so beautiful on your body.
Your Husband Lord is pleased, and His heart is enticed. ||1||
Whose handiwork is this red beauty of yours?
Whose love h