CONTD FROM Vol 8 ISSUE 7

When devotion comes to the mind of the soul-bride, she is visited by the friendly guest. O clouds, if you are going to rain, then go ahead and rain; why rain after the season has passed? Nanak is a sacrifice to those Gurmukhs who obtain the Lord in their minds. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: That which is pleasing is sweet, and one who is sincere is a friend. O Nanak, he is known as a Gurmukh, whom the Lord Himself enlightens. || 2 || PAUREE: O God, Your humble servant offers his prayer to You; You are my True Master.

You are my Protector, forever and ever; I meditate on You. All the beings and creatures are Yours; You are pervading and permeating in them. One who slanders Your slave is crushed and destroyed. Falling at Your Feet, Nanak has renounced his cares, and has become carefree. || 21 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: Building up its hopes, the world dies, but its hopes do not die or depart. O Nanak, hopes are fulfilled only by attaching one’s consciousness to the True Lord. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: Hopes and desires shall die only when He, who created them, takes them away. O Nanak, nothing is permanent, except the Name of the Lord. || 2 || PAUREE: He Himself created the world, with His perfect workmanship. He Himself is the true banker, He Himself is the merchant, and He Himself is the store. He Himself is the ocean, He Himself is the boat, and He Himself is the boatman.

He Himself is the Guru, He Himself is the disciple, and He Himself shows the destination. O servant Nanak, meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and all your sins shall be eradicated. || 22 || 1 || SUDH || RAAG GUJRI, VAAR, FIFTH MEHL: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: Deep within yourself, worship the Guru in adoration, and with your tongue, chant the Guru’s Name. Let your eyes behold the True Guru, and let your ears hear the Guru’s Name. Attuned to the True Guru, you shall receive a place of honor in the Court of the Lord. Says Nanak, this treasure is bestowed on those who are blessed with His Mercy.

In the midst of the world, they are known as the most pious – they are rare indeed. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: O Savior Lord, save us and take us across. Falling at the feet of the Guru, our works are embellished with perfection. You have become kind, merciful and compassionate; we do not forget You from our minds. In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, we are carried across the terrifying world-ocean.

In an instant, You have destroyed the faithless cynics and slanderous enemies. That Lord and Master is my Anchor and Support; O Nanak, hold firm in your mind. Remembering Him in meditation, happiness comes, and all sorrows and pains simply vanish. || 2 || PAUREE: He is without relatives, immaculate, all-powerful, unapproachable and infinite. Truly, the True Lord is seen to be the Truest of the True. Nothing established by You appears to be false. The Great Giver gives sustenance to all those He has created. He has strung all on only one thread; He has infused His Light in them. By His Will, some drown in the terrifying world-ocean, and by His Will, some are carried across. O Dear Lord, he alone meditates on You, upon whose forehead such blessed destiny is inscribed. Your condition and state cannot be known; I am a sacrifice to You. || 1 || SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: When You are pleased, O Merciful Lord, you automatically come to dwell within my mind. When You are pleased, O Merciful Lord, I find the nine treasures within the home of my own self. When You are pleased, O Merciful Lord, I act according to the Guru’s Instructions.

When You are pleased, O Merciful Lord, then Nanak is absorbed in the True One. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: Many sit on thrones, to the sounds of musical instruments. O Nanak, without the True Name, no one’s honor is safe. || 2 || PAUREE: The followers of the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran, standing at Your Door, meditate on You. Uncounted are those who fall at Your Door. Brahma meditates on You, as does Indra on his throne. Shiva and Vishnu, and their incarnations, chant the Lord’s Praise with their mouths, as do the Pirs, the spiritual teachers, the prophets and the Shaykhs, the silent sages and the seers. Through and through, the Formless Lord is woven into each and every heart.

One is destroyed through falsehood; through righteousness, one prospers. Whatever the Lord links him to, to that he is linked. || 2 || SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: He is reluctant to do good, but eager to practice evil. O Nanak, today or tomorrow, the feet of the careless fool shall fall into the trap. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: No matter how evil my ways are, still, Your Love for me is not concealed. Nanak: You, O Lord, conceal my short-comings and dwell within my mind; You are my true friend. || 2 || PAUREE: I beg of You, O Merciful Lord: please, make me the slave of Your slaves. I obtain the nine treasures and royalty; chanting Your Name, I live.

The great ambrosial treasure, the Nectar of the Naam, is in the home of the Lord’s slaves. In their company, I am in ecstasy, listening to Your Praises with my ears. Serving them, my body is purified. I wave the fans over them, and carry water for them; I grind the corn for them, and washing their feet, I am over-joyed. By myself, I can do nothing; O God, bless me with Your Glance of Grace.

I am worthless – please, bless me with a seat in the place of worship of the Saints. || 3 || SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: O Friend, I pray that I may remain forever the dust of Your Feet. Nanak has entered Your Sanctuary, and beholds You ever-present. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: Countless sinners become pure, by fixing their minds on the Feet of the Lord. The Name of God is the sixty-eight holy places of pilgrimage, O Nanak, for one who has such destiny written upon his forehead. || 2 || PAUREE: With every breath and morsel of food, chant the Name of the Lord, the Cherisher. The Lord does not forget one upon whom He has bestowed His Grace.

He Himself is the Creator, and He Himself destroys. The Knower knows everything; He understands and contemplates. By His creative power, He assumes numerous forms in an instant. One whom the Lord attaches to the Truth is redeemed. One who has God on his side is never conquered. His Court is eternal and imperishable; I humbly bow to Him. || 4 || SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: Renounce sexual desire, anger and greed, and burn them in the fire. As long as you are alive, O Nanak, meditate continually on the True Name. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: Meditating, meditating in remembrance on my God, I have obtained all the fruits. O Nanak, I worship the Naam, the Name of the Lord; the Perfect Guru has united me with the Lord. || 2 || PAUREE: One who has been instructed by the Guru is liberated in this world. He avoids disaster, and his anxiety is dispelled.

Beholding the blessed vision of his Darshan, the world is over-joyed. In the company of the Lord’s humble servants, the world is over-joyed, and the filth of sin is washed away. There, they meditate on the Ambrosial Nectar of the True Name. The mind becomes content, and its hunger is satisfied. One whose heart is filled with the Name, has his bonds cut away. By Guru’s Grace, some rare person earns the wealth of the Lord’s Name. || 5 || SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: Within my mind, I think thoughts of always rising early, and making the effort. O Lord, my Friend, please bless Nanak with the habit of singing the Kirtan of the Lord’s Praises. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: Casting His Glance of Grace, God has saved me; my mind and body are imbued with the Primal Being. O Nanak, those who are pleasing to God, have their cries of suffering taken away. || 2 || PAUREE: When your soul is feeling sad, offer your prayers to the Guru.

Renounce all your cleverness, and dedicate your mind and body to Him.Worship the Feet of the Guru, and your evil-mindedness shall be burnt away. Joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, you shall cross over the terrifying and difficult world-ocean. Serve the True Guru, and in the world hereafter, you shall not die of fear. In an instant, he shall make you happy, and the empty vessel shall be filled to overflowing. The mind becomes content, meditating forever on the Lord. He alone dedicates himself to the Guru’s service, unto whom the Lord has granted His Grace. || 6 || SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: I am attached to the right place; the Uniter has united me.

O Nanak, there are hundreds and thousands of waves, but my Husband Lord does not let me drown. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: In the dreadful wilderness, I have found the one and only companion; the Name of the Lord is the Destroyer of distress. I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice to the Beloved Saints, O Nanak; through them, my affairs have been brought to fulfillment. || 2 || PAUREE: All treasures are obtained, when we are attuned to Your Love. One does not have to suffer regret and repentance, when he meditates on You. No one can equal Your humble servant, who has Your Support. Waaho! Waaho! How wonderful is the Perfect Guru! Cherishing Him in my mind, I obtain peace.

The treasure of the Lord’s Praise comes from the Guru; by His Mercy, it is obtained. When the True Guru bestows His Glance of Grace, one does not wander any more. The Merciful Lord preserves him – He makes him His own slave. Listening, hearing the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, Har, Har, I live. || 7 || SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: O Husband Lord, You have given me the silk gown of Your Love to cover and protect my honor. You are all-wise and all-knowing, O my Master; Nanak: I have not appreciated Your value, Lord. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: By Your meditative remembrance, I have found everything; nothing seems difficult to me. One whose honor the True Lord Master has preserved – O Nanak, no one can dishonor him. || 2 || PAUREE: Meditating on the Lord, there comes a great peace. Multitudes of illnesses vanish, singing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. Utter peace pervades within, when God comes to mind. One’s hopes are fulfilled, when one’s mind is filled with the Name.

No obstacles stand in the way, when one eliminates his self-conceit. The intellect attains the blessing of spiritual wisdom from the Guru. He receives everything, unto whom the Lord Himself gives. You are the Lord and Master of all; all are under Your Protection. || 8 || SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: Crossing the stream, my foot does not get stuck – I am filled with love for You. O Lord, my heart is attached to Your Feet; the Lord is Nanak’s raft and boat. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: The sight of them banishes my evil-mindedness; they are my only true friends. I have searched the whole world; O servant Nanak, how rare are such persons! || 2 || PAUREE: You come to mind, O Lord and Master, when I behold Your devotees. The filth of my mind is removed, when I dwell in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy. The fear of birth and death is dispelled, meditating on the Word of His humble servant. The Saints untie the bonds, and all the demons are dispelled. They inspire us to love Him, the One who established the entire universe.