CONTD FROM Vol 7 ISSUE 29 || 7 || Without the Shabad, the world does not hear, and does not see; deaf and blind, it wanders around.Without the Naam, it obtains only misery; the Naam is received only by His Will. || 8 || Those persons who link their consciousness with the Word of His Bani, are immaculately pure, and approved by the Lord. O Nanak, they never forget the Naam, and in the Court of the Lord, they are known as true.

|| 9 || 13 || 35 || AASAA, THIRD MEHL: Through the Word of the Shabad, the devotees are known; their words are true. They eradicate ego from within themselves; they surrender to the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and meet with the True One. || 1 || Through the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, His humble servants obtain honor. How blessed is their coming into the world! Everyone adores them.

|| 1 || Pause || Ego, self-centeredness, excessive anger and pride are the lot of mankind. If one dies in the Word of the Shabad, then he is rid of this, and his light is merged into the Light of the Lord God. || 2 || Meeting with the Perfect True Guru, my life has been blessed. I have obtained the nine treasures of the Naam, and my storehouse is inexhaustible, filled to overflowing. || 3 || Those who love the Naam come as dealers in the merchandise of the Naam. Those who become Gurmukh obtain this wealth; deep within, they contemplate the Shabad.

|| 4 || The egotistical, selfwilled manmukhs do not appreciate the value of devotional worship. The Primal Lord Himself has beguiled them; they lose their lives in the gamble. || 5 || Without loving affection, devotional worship is not possible, and the body cannot be at peace. The wealth of love is obtained from the Guru; through devotion, the mind becomes steady. || 6 || He alone performs devotional worship, whom the Lord so blesses; he contemplates the Word of the Guru’s Shabad.

The One Name abides in his heart, and he conquers his ego and duality. || 7 || The One Name is the social status and honor of the devotees; the Lord Himself adorns them. They remain forever in the Protection of His Sanctuary. As it pleases His Will, He arranges their affairs. || 8 || The worship of the Lord is unique – it is known only by reflecting upon the Guru. O Nanak, one whose mind is filled with the Naam, through the Lord’s Fear and devotion, is embellished with the Naam.

|| 9 || 14 || 36 || AASAA, THIRD MEHL: He wanders around, engrossed in other pleasures, but without the Naam, he suffers in pain. He does not meet the True Guru, the Primal Being, who imparts true understanding. || 1 || O my insane mind, drink in the sublime essence of the Lord, and savor its taste. Attached to other pleasures, you wander around, and your life wastes away uselessly.

|| 1 || Pause || In this age, the Gurmukhs are pure; they remain absorbed in the love of the True Name.Without the destiny of good karma, nothing can be obtained; what can we say or do? || 2 || He understands his own self, and dies in the Word of the Shabad; he banishes corruption from his mind. He hurries to the Guru’s Sanctuary, and is forgiven by the Forgiving Lord. || 3 || Without the Name, peace is not obtained, and pain does not depart from within. This world is engrossed in attachment to Maya; it has gone astray in duality and doubt.

|| 4 || The forsaken soul-brides do not know the value of their Husband Lord; how can they decorate themselves? Night and day, they continually burn, and they do not enjoy the Bed of their Husband Lord. || 5 || The happy soul-brides obtain the Mansion of His Presence, eradicating their selfconceit from within. They decorate themselves with the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, and their Husband Lord unites them with Himself.

|| 6 || He has forgotten death, in the darkness of attachment to Maya. The self-willed manmukhs die again and again, and are reborn; they die again, and are miserable at the Gate of Death. || 7 || They alone are united, whom the Lord unites with Himself; they contemplate the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. O Nanak, they are absorbed in the Naam; their faces are radiant, in that True Court.

|| 8 || 22 || 15 || 37 || AASAA, FIFTH MEHL, ASHTAPADEES, SECOND HOUSE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: When the five virtues were reconciled, and the five passions were estranged, I enshrined the five within myself, and cast out the other five. || 1 || In this way, the village of my body became inhabited, O my Siblings of Destiny. Vice departed, and the Guru’s spiritual wisdom was implanted within me. || 1 || Pause || The fence of true Dharmic religion has been built around it.

The spiritual wisdom and reflective meditation of the Guru has become its strong gate. || 2 || So plant the seed of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, O friends, O Siblings of Destiny. Deal only in the constant service of the Guru. || 3 || With intuitive peace and happiness, all the shops are filled. The Banker and the dealers dwell in the same place. || 4 || There is no tax on nonbelievers, nor any fines or taxes at death. The True Guru has set the Seal of the Primal Lord upon these goods. || 5 || So load the merchandise of the Naam, and set sail with your cargo. Earn your profit, as Gurmukh, and you shall return to your own home.

|| 6 || The True Guru is the Banker, and His Sikhs are the traders. Their merchandise is the Naam, and meditation on the True Lord is their account. || 7 || One who serves the True Guru dwells in this house. O Nanak, the Divine City is eternal. || 8 || 1 || AASAAVAREE, FIFTH MEHL, THIRD HOUSE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: My mind is in love with the Lord. In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, I meditate on the Lord, Har, Har; my lifestyle is pure and true.

|| 1 || Pause || I have such a great thirst for the Blessed Vision of His Darshan; I think of him in so many ways. So be Merciful, O Supreme Lord; shower Your Mercy upon me, O Lord, Destroyer of pride. || 1 || My stranger soul has come to join the Saadh Sangat. That commodity, which I longed for, I have found in the Love of the Naam, the Name of the Lord. || 2 || There are so many pleasures and delights of Maya, but they pass away in an instant. Your devotees are imbued with Your Name; they enjoy peace everywhere.

|| 3 || The entire world is seen to be passing away; only the Lord’s Name is lasting and stable. So make friends with the Holy Saints, so that you may obtain a lasting place of rest. || 4 || Friends, acquaintances, children and relatives – none of these shall be your companion. The Lord’s Name alone shall go with you; God is the Master of the meek. || 5 || The Lord’s Lotus Feet are the Boat; attached to Them, you shall cross over the world-ocean. Meeting with the Perfect True Guru, I embrace True Love for God.

|| 6 || The prayer of Your Holy Saints is, “May I never forget You, for even one breath or morsel of food.” Whatever is pleasing to Your Will is good; by Your Sweet Will, my affairs are adjusted. || 7 || I have met my Beloved, the Ocean of Peace, and Supreme Bliss has welled up within me. Says Nanak, all my pains have been eradicated, meeting with God, the Lord of Supreme Bliss.

|| 8 || 1 || 2 || AASAA, FIFTH MEHL, BIRHARRAY ~ SONGS OF SEPARATION, TO BE SUNG IN THE TUNE OF THE CHHANTS. FOURTH HOUSE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: Remember the Supreme Lord God, O Beloved, and make yourself a sacrifice to the Blessed Vision of His Darshan. || 1 || Remembering Him, sorrows are forgotten, O Beloved; how can one forsake Him? || 2 || I would sell this body to the Saint, O Beloved, if he would lead me to my Dear Lord. || 3 || The pleasures and adornments of corruption are insipid and useless; I have forsaken and abandoned them, O my Mother.

|| 4 || Lust, anger and greed left me, O Beloved, when I fell at the Feet of the True Guru. || 5 || Those humble beings who are imbued with the Lord, O Beloved, do not go anywhere else. || 6 || Those who have tasted the Lord’s sublime essence, O Beloved, remain satisfied and satiated. || 7 || One who grasps the Hem of the Gown of the Holy Saint, O Nanak, crosses over the terrible world-ocean. || 8 || 1 || 3 || The pains of birth and death are removed, O Beloved, when the mortal meets with the Lord, the King.

|| 1 || God is so Beautiful, so Refined, so Wise – He is my very life! Reveal to me Your Darshan! || 2 || Those beings who are separated from You, O Beloved, are born only to die; they eat the poison of corruption. || 3 || He alone meets You, whom You cause to meet, O Beloved; I fall at his feet. || 4 || That happiness which one receives by beholding Your Darshan, O Beloved, cannot be described in words.

|| 5 || True Love cannot be broken, O Beloved; throughout the ages, it remains. || 6 || Whatever pleases You is good, O Beloved; Your Will is Eternal. || 7 || Nanak, those who are imbued with the Love of the All-Pervading Lord, O Beloved, remain intoxicated with His Love, in natural ease. || 8 || 2 || You know all about my condition, O Beloved; who can I speak to about it? || 1 || You are the Giver of all beings; they eat and wear what You give them. || 2 || Pleasure and pain come by Your Will, O Beloved; they do not come from any other. || 3 || Whatever You cause me to do, that I do, O Beloved; I cannot do anything else.

|| 4 || All my days and nights are blessed, O Beloved, when I chant and meditate on the Lord’s Name. || 5 || He does the deeds, O Beloved, which are preordained, and inscribed upon his forehead. || 6 || The One is Himself prevailing everywhere, O Beloved; He is pervading in each and every heart. || 7 || Lift me up out of the deep pit of the world, O Beloved; Nanak has taken to Your Sanctuary. || 8 || 3 || 1 || 3 || ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: RAAG AASAA, FIRST MEHL, PATEE LIKHEE ~ THE POEM OF THE ALPHABET: Sassa: He who created the world, is the One Lord and Master of all.

Those whose consciousness remains committed to His Service – blessed is their birth and their coming into the world. || 1 || O mind, why forget Him? You foolish mind! When your account is adjusted, O brother, only then shall you be judged wise. || 1 || Pause || Eeree: The Primal Lord is the Giver; He alone is True. No accounting is due from the Gurmukh who understands the Lord through these letters. || 2 || Ooraa: Sing the Praises of the One whose limit cannot be found. Those who perform service and practice truth, obtain the fruits of their rewards.