CONTD FROM Vol 7 ISSUE 37 || 1 || CHHANT: Countless silent sages and innumerable ascetics seek Him; millions of Brahmas meditate and adore Him; the spiritual teachers meditate and chant His Name. Through chanting, deep meditation, strict and austere selfdiscipline, religious rituals, sincere worship, endless purifications and humble salutations, wandering all over the earth and bathing at sacred shrines of pilgrimage, people seek to meet the Pure Lord. Mortals, forests, blades of grass, animals and birds all meditate on You.

The Merciful Beloved Lord, the Lord of the Universe is found; O Nanak, joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, salvation is attained. || 1 || Millions of incarnations of Vishnu and Shiva, with matted hair yearn for You, O Merciful Lord; their minds and bodies are filled with infinite longing. The Lord Master, the Lord of the Universe, is infinite and unapproachable; God is the all-pervading Lord of all. The angels, the Siddhas, the beings of spiritual perfection, the heavenly heralds and celestial singers meditate on You.

The Yakhsha demons, the guards of the divine treasures, and the Kinnars, the dancers of the god of wealth chant Your Glorious Praises. Millions of Indras and countless gods and super-human beings meditate on the Lord Master and celebrate His Praises. The Merciful Lord is the Master of the masterless, O Nanak; joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, one is saved. || 2 || Millions of gods and goddesses of wealth serve Him in so many ways. The invisible and visible beings worship Him in adoration, along with wind and water, day and night. The stars, the moon and the sun meditate on Him; the earth and the sky sing to Him.

All the sources of creation, and all languages meditate on Him, forever and ever. The Simritees, the Puraanas, the four Vedas and the six Shaastras meditate on Him. He is the Purifier of sinners, the Lover of His Saints; O Nanak, He is met in the Society of the Saints. || 3 || As much as God has revealed to us, that much we can speak with our tongues. Those unknown ones who serve You cannot be counted. Imperishable, incalculable, and unfathomable is the Lord and Master; He is everywhere, inside and out. We are all beggars, He is the One and only Giver; He is not far away, but is with us, everpresent.

He is in the power of His devotees; those whose souls are united with Him – how can their praises be sung? May Nanak receive this gift and honor, of placing his head on the feet of the Holy Saints. || 4 || 2 || 5 || AASAA, FIFTH MEHL, SHALOK: Make the effort, O very fortunate ones, and meditate on the Lord, the Lord King. O Nanak, remembering Him in meditation, you shall obtain total peace, and your pains and troubles and doubts shall depart. || 1 || CHHANT: Chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord of the Universe; don’t be lazy.

Meeting with the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, you shall not have to go to the City of Death. Pain, trouble and fear will not afflict you; meditating on the Naam, a lasting peace is found. With each and every breath, worship the Lord in adoration; meditate on the Lord God in your mind and with your mouth. O kind and compassionate Lord, O treasure of sublime essence, treasure of excellence, please link me to Your service. Prays Nanak: may I meditate on the Lord’s lotus feet, and not be lazy in chanting the Naam, the Name of the Lord of the Universe. || 1 || The Purifier of sinners is the Naam, the Pure Name of the Immaculate Lord.

The darkness of doubt is removed by the healing ointment of the Guru’s spiritual wisdom. By the healing ointment of the Guru’s spiritual wisdom, one meets the Immaculate Lord God, who is totally pervading the water, the land and the sky. If He dwells within the heart, for even an instant, sorrows are forgotten. The wisdom of the all-powerful Lord and Master is incomprehensible; He is the Destroyer of the fears of all. Prays Nanak, I meditate on the Lord’s lotus feet. The Purifier of sinners is the Naam, the Pure Name of the Immaculate Lord. || 2 || I have grasped the protection of the merciful Lord, the Sustainer of the Universe, the treasure of grace. I take the support of Your lotus feet, and in the protection of Your Sanctuary, I attain perfection.

The Lord’s lotus feet are the cause of causes; the Lord Master saves even the sinners. So many are saved; they cross over the terrifying world-ocean, contemplating the Naam, the Name of the Lord. In the beginning and in the end, countless are those who seek the Lord. I have heard that the Society of the Saints is the way to salvation. Prays Nanak, I meditate on the Lord’s lotus feet, and grasp the protection of the Lord of the Universe, the merciful, the ocean of kindness. || 3 || The Lord is the Lover of His devotees; this is His natural way. Wherever the Saints worship the Lord in adoration, there He is revealed. God blends Himself with His devotees in His natural way, and resolves their affairs.

In the ecstasy of the Lord’s Praises, they obtain supreme joy, and forget all their sorrows. The brilliant flash of the One Lord is revealed to them – they behold Him in the ten directions. Prays Nanak, I meditate on the Lord’s lotus feet; the Lord is the Lover of His devotees; this is His natural way. || 4 || 3 || 6 || AASAA, FIFTH MEHL: The Husband Lord of the Saints is eternal; He does not die or go away. She, whose home is blessed by her Husband Lord, enjoys Him forever. God is eternal and immortal, forever young and immaculately pure. He is not far away, He is ever-present; the Lord and Master fills the ten directions, forever and ever.

He is the Lord of souls, the source of salvation and wisdom. The Love of my Dear Beloved is pleasing to me. Nanak speaks what the Guru’s Teachings have led him to know. The Husband Lord of the Saints is eternal; He does not die or go away. || 1 || One who has the Lord as her Husband enjoys great bliss. That soul-bride is happy, and her glory is perfect. She obtains honor, greatness and happiness, singing the Praise of the Lord. God, the Great Being, is always with her. She attains total perfection and the nine treasures; her home lacks nothing. – everything is there. Her speech is so sweet; she obeys her Beloved Lord; her marriage is permanent and everlasting. Nanak chants what he knows through the Guru’s Teachings: One who has the Lord as her Husband enjoys great bliss.

|| 2 || Come, O my companions, let us dedicate ourselves to serving the Saints. Let us grind their corn, wash their feet and so renounce our self-conceit. Let us shed our egos, and our troubles shall be removed; let us not display ourselves. Let us take to His Sanctuary and obey Him, and be happy with whatever He does. Let us become the slaves of His slaves, and shed our sadness, and with our palms pressed together, remain wakeful day and night. Nanak chants what he knows through the Guru’s Teachings; come, O my companions, let us dedicate ourselves to serving the Saints. || 3 || One who has such good destiny written upon his forehead, dedicates himself to His service.

One who attains the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, has his desires fulfilled. In the Saadh Sangat, immerse yourself in the Love of the Lord; remember the Lord of the Universe in meditation. Doubt, emotional attachment, sin and duality – he renounces them all. Peace, poise and tranquility fill his mind, and he sings the Lord’s Glorious Praises with joy and delight. Nanak chants what he knows through the Guru’s Teachings: one who has such good destiny written upon his forehead, dedicates himself to His service. || 4 || 4 || 7 || AASAA, FIFTH MEHL, SHALOK: If you chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, the Messenger of Death will have nothing to say to you. O Nanak, the mind and body will be at peace, and in the end, you shall merge with the Lord of the world. || 1 || CHHANT: Let me join the Society of the Saints – save me, Lord! With my palms pressed together, I offer my prayer: give me Your Name, O Lord, Har, Har. I beg for the Lord’s Name, and fall at His feet; I renounce my self-conceit, by Your kindness. I shall not wander anywhere else, but take to Your Sanctuary. O God, embodiment of mercy, have mercy on me.

O all-powerful, indescribable, infinite and immaculate Lord Master, listen to this, my prayer. With palms pressed together, Nanak begs for this blessing: O Lord, let my cycle of birth and death come to an end. || 1 || I am a sinner, devoid of wisdom, worthless, destitute and vile. I am deceitful, hard-hearted, lowly and entangled in the mud of emotional attachment. I am stuck in the filth of doubt and egotistical actions, and I try not to think of death. In ignorance, I cling to the pleasures of woman and the joys of Maya. My youth is wasting away, old age is approaching, and Death, my companion, is counting my days. Prays Nanak, my hope is in You, Lord; please preserve me, the lowly one, in the Sanctuary of the Holy.

|| 2 || I have wandered through countless incarnations, suffering terrible pain in these lives. I am entangled in sweet pleasures and gold. After wandering around with such great loads of sin, I have come, after wandering through so many foreign lands. Now, I have taken the protection of God, and I have found total peace in the Name of the Lord. God, my Beloved, is my protector; nothing was done, or will ever be done, by myself alone. I have found peace, poise and bliss, O Nanak; by Your mercy, I swim across the world-ocean. || 3 || You saved those who only pretended to believe, so what doubts should Your true devotees have? By every means possible, listen to the Praises of the Lord with your ears. Listen with your ears to the Word of the Lord’s Bani, the hymns of spiritual wisdom; thus you shall obtain the treasure in your mind.

Attuned to the Love of the Lord God, the Architect of Destiny, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. The earth is the paper, the forest is the pen and the wind is the writer, but still, the end of the endless Lord cannot be found. O Nanak, I have taken to the Sanctuary of His lotus feet. || 4 || 5 || 8 || AASAA, FIFTH MEHL: The Primal Lord is the Lord God of all beings. I have taken to His Sanctuary. My life has become fearless, and all my anxieties have been removed. I know the Lord as my mother, father, son, friend, well-wisher and close relative. The Guru has led me to embrace Him; the Saints chant His Pure Praises. His Glorious Virtues are infinite, and His greatness is unlimited. His value cannot be described at all. God is the One and only, the Unseen Lord and Master; O Nanak, I have grasped His protection.