CONTD FROM Vol 8 ISSUE 23

They are satiated with the sublime essence of the Lord, and they merge in celestial peace; in each and every heart, they see the all-pervading Lord.

They alone are the friendly Saints, and they alone are happy, who are pleasing to their Lord and Master. Says Nanak, I am forever a sacrifice to those who have seen the Lord God. || 2 || SHALOK: The body is blind, totally blind and desolate, without the Naam.

O Nanak, fruitful is the life of that being, within whose heart the True Lord and Master abides. || 1 || CHHANT: I am cut into pieces as a sacrifice, to those who have seen my Lord God. His humble servants partake of the sweet Ambrosial Nectar of the Lord, Har, Har, and are satiated. The Lord seems sweet to their minds; God is merciful to them. His Ambrosial Nectar rains down upon them, and they are at peace.

Pain is eliminated and doubt is dispelled from the body; meditating on the Lord of the World, their victory is celebrated. They are rid of emotional attachment, their sins are erased, and their association with the five passions is broken off. Says Nanak, I am every bit a sacrifice to those, within whose hearts my Lord God abides. || 3 || SHALOK: Those who long for the Lord, are said to be His servants. Nanak knows this Truth, that the Lord is not separate from His Saints.

|| 1 || CHHANT: As water mixes and blends with water, so does one’s light mix and blend with the Light. Merging with the perfect, all-powerful Creator, one comes to know his own self. Then, one is intuitively absorbed in state of absolute Samaadhi, and one speaks of the One and Only Lord. He Himself is unmanifest, and He Himself is liberated; He Himself speaks of Himself. O Nanak, doubts, fears and the limitations of the three qualities are dispelled, as one merges, like water blending with water.

|| 4 || 2 || WADAHANS, FIFTH MEHL: God is the all-powerful Creator, the Cause of causes. He preserves the whole world, reaching out with His hand. He is the allpowerful, safe Sanctuary, Lord and Master, Treasure of mercy, Giver of peace. I am a sacrifice to Your slaves, who recognize only the One Lord. His color and shape cannot be seen; His description is indescribable. Prays Nanak, hear my prayer, O God, Almighty Creator, Cause of causes.

|| 1 || These beings are Yours; You are their Creator. God is the Destroyer of pain, suffering and doubt. Eliminate my doubt, pain and suffering in an instant, and preserve me, O Lord, Merciful to the meek. You are mother, father and friend, O Lord and Master; the whole world is Your child, O Lord of the World. One who comes seeking Your Sanctuary obtains the treasure of virtue, and does not have to enter the cycle of birth and death again. Prays Nanak, I am Your slave. All beings are Yours; You are their Creator.

|| 2 || Meditate on the Lord, twenty-four hours a day; the fruits of the heart’s desires are obtained. The heart’s desires are obtained by meditating on God, and the fear of death is dispelled. I sing of the Lord of the Universe in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and my hopes are fulfilled. Renouncing possessiveness, emotional attachment and all corruption, we become pleasing to the Mind of God. Prays Nanak, day and night, meditate forever on the Lord, Har, Har.

|| 3 || At His Door, the unstruck melody resounds. In each and every heart, the Lord, the Lord of the Universe, sings. The Lord of the Universe sings, and abides forever; He is unfathomable, profoundly deep, lofty and exalted. His virtues are infinite – none of them can be described. No one can reach Him. He Himself creates, and He Himself nurtures; all beings and creatures are fashioned by Him. Prays Nanak, peace comes from devotional worship of the Naam; at His Door, the unstruck melody resounds.

|| 4 || 3 || RAAG WADAHANS, FIRST MEHL, FIFTH HOUSE, ALAAHANEES ~ SONGS OF MOURNING: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: Blessed is the Creator, the True King, who has linked the whole world to its tasks. When one’s time is up, and the measure is full, this dear soul is caught, and driven off. This dear soul is caught and driven off, when the pre-ordained Order is received; all the relatives cry out in mourning. The body and the swan-soul become separated, when one’s days are past and done, O my mother. As is one’s pre-ordained Destiny, so does one receive, according to one’s past actions. Blessed is the Creator, the True King, who has linked the whole world to its tasks.

|| 1 || Meditate in remembrance on the Lord and Master, O my Siblings of Destiny; everyone has to pass this way. These false entanglements last for only a few days; then, one must surely move on to the world hereafter. He must surely move on to the world hereafter, like a guest; so why does he indulge in pride? Chant the Name of the Lord; serving Him, you shall obtain peace in His Court. In the world hereafter, no one’s commands will be obeyed. According to their actions, each and every person proceeds. Meditate in remembrance on the Lord and Master, O my Siblings of Destiny; everyone has to pass this way.

|| 2 || Whatever pleases the Almighty Lord – that alone comes to pass; this world is an opportunity to please Him. The True Creator Lord is pervading and permeating the water, the land and the air. The True Creator Lord is invisible and infinite; His limits cannot be found. Fruitful is the coming of those, who meditate singlemindedly on Him. He destroys, and having destroyed, He creates; by His Order, He adorns us.Whatever pleases the Almighty Lord – that alone comes to pass; this world is an opportunity to please Him.

|| 3 || Nanak: he alone is known to weep, O Baba, who weeps in the Lord’s Love. One who weeps for the sake of worldly objects, O Baba, weeps totally in vain. This weeping is totally in vain; the world forgets the Lord, and weeps for the sake of Maya. They do not distinguish between good and evil; they waste away their lives in vain. Everyone who comes here, shall have to leave; to act in egotism is false. Nanak: he alone is known to weep, O Baba, who weeps in the Lord’s Love.

|| 4 || 1 || WADAHANS, FIRST MEHL: Come, O my companions – let us meet together and dwell upon the True Name. Let us weep over the body’s separation from our Lord and Master; let us remember Him in contemplation. Let us remember our Lord and Master in contemplation, and keep a watchful eye on the Path.We shall have to go there as well. The One who created also destroys; whatever happens is by His Will. Whatever He has done, has come to pass; how can we command Him? Come, O my companions – let us meet together and dwell upon the True Name.

|| 1 || Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truly die. Serve your Almighty Lord and Master, and your path in the world hereafter will be easy. Take this easy path, and you shall obtain the fruits of your rewards, and receive honor in the world hereafter. Go there with your offering, and you shall merge in the True Lord; your honor shall be confirmed. You shall obtain a place in the Mansion of the Lord Master’s Presence; being pleasing to Him, you shall enjoy the pleasures of His Love. Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truly die.

|| 2 || The death of brave heroes is blessed, if it is approved by God. They alone are proclaimed as brave warriors in the world hereafter, who receive true honor in the Court of the Lord. They are honored in the Court of the Lord; they depart with honor, and they do not suffer pain in the world hereafter. They meditate on the One Lord, and obtain the fruits of their rewards. Serving the Lord, their fear is dispelled. Do not place yourself above others; dwell within your own mind. The Knower Himself knows everything. The death of brave heroes is blessed, if it is approved by God.

|| 3 || Nanak: for whom should we mourn, O Baba? This world is merely a drama. The Lord Master beholds His work, and contemplates His creative potency. He contemplates His creative potency, having established the Universe. He who created it, He alone knows. He Himself beholds it, and He Himself understands it. He Himself realizes the Hukam of His Command. The One who created these things – He alone knows. His subtle form is infinite. Nanak: for whom should we mourn, O Baba? This world is merely a drama.

|| 4 || 2 || WADAHANS, FIRST MEHL, DAKHANEE: The True Creator Lord is True – know this well; He is the True Sustainer. He Himself fashioned Himself; the True Lord is invisible and infinite. He brought together and then separated the two grinding stones of the earth and the sky; without the Guru, there is only pitch darkness. He created the sun and the moon; night and day, they move according to His Thought.

|| 1 || O True Lord and Master, You are True. O True Lord, please bless me with Your Love.

|| Pause || You created the Universe; You are the Giver of pleasure and pain. You created woman and man, the love of poison and emotional attachment to Maya. The four sources of creation and the power of the Word are also of Your making. You give Support to all beings. You have made the Creation as Your Throne; You are the True Judge.

|| 2 || You created comings and goings, but You are ever-stable, O Creator Lord. In birth and death, in coming and going, this soul is held in bondage by corruption. The evil person has forgotten the Naam; he has drowned – what can he do now? Forsaking merit, he has loaded the poisonous cargo of demerits; he is a trader of sins.

|| 3 || The beloved soul has received the Call, the Command of the True Creator Lord. The husband-soul has become separated from the body-bride. The Lord is the re-uniter of the separated ones. No one cares for your beauty, O beautiful bride; the Messenger of Death is bound only by the Commander’s Command. He does not distinguish between young children and old people; he tears apart love and affection.

|| 4 || The nine doors are closed by the True Lord’s Command, and the swan-soul takes flight into the skies. The body-bride is separated, and defrauded by falsehood; she is now a widow – the dead body lies in the courtyard. The widow cries out at the door, “The light of my mind has gone out, O my mother, with his death.” So cry out, O soulbrides of the Husband Lord, and dwell on the Glorious Praises of the True Lord.

|| 5 || Her loved one is cleansed, bathed in water, and dressed in silken robes. The musicians play, and the Bani of the True Word is sung; the five relatives feel as if they too are dead, so deadened are their minds. “Separation from my beloved is like death to me!” cries the widow. “My life in this world is cursed and worthless!” But she alone is approved, who dies, while yet still alive; she lives for the sake of the Love of her Beloved.

|| 6 || So cry out in mourning – you who have come to mourn; this world is false and fraudulent. I too have been defrauded, chasing after worldly entanglements; my Husband Lord has forsaken me – I act like a wife without a spouse. In each and every home, are the brides of the Husband Lord; they gaze upon their handsome Lord with love and affection.