The Sikh Gurus never believed in the exclusivity of their teachings. The Gurus undertook travels to spread their message to peoples of different cultures in their own native languages. The Gurus did not believe in the ideas of any language being ‘sacred’ or ‘special’. It is in this spirit that various Sikh scholars have undertaken efforts to translate Sri Guru Granth Sahib into a number of languages in order to spread the teachings of the Gurus and to bring the Sikh religion to the people of the world as Guru Nanak wished.

“Enshrine the Lord’s Name within your heart. The Word of the Guru’s Bani prevails throughout the world; through this Bani, the Lord’s Name is obtained.”(Guru Amar Das, Maru, pg. 1066)

CONTINUED FROM VOL 2 ISSUE 7 || 4 || 17 || 50 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: You may torment your body with extremes of self-discipline, practice intensive meditation and hang upside-down, but your ego will not be eliminated from within. You may perform religious rituals, and still never obtain the Naam, the Name of the Lord. Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, remain dead while yet alive, and the Name of the Lord shall come to dwell within the mind. || 1 || Listen, O my mind: hurry to the Protection of the Guru’s Sanctuary. By Guru’s Grace you shall be saved.

Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, you shall cross over the terrifying world-ocean of poison. || 1 || Pause || Everything under the influence of the three qualities shall perish; the love of duality is corrupting. The Pandits, the religious scholars, read the scriptures, but they are trapped in the bondage of emotional attachment. In love with evil, they do not understand. Meeting the Guru, the bondage of the three qualities is cut away, and in the fourth state, the Door of Liberation is attained. || 2 || Through the Guru, the Path is found, and the darkness of emotional attachment is dispelled.

If one dies through the Shabad, then salvation is obtained, and one finds the Door of Liberation. By Guru’s Grace, one remains blended with the True Name of the Creator. || 3 || This mind is very powerful; we cannot escape it just by trying. In the love of duality, people suffer in pain, condemned to terrible punishment. O Nanak, those who are attached to the Naam are saved; through the Shabad, their ego is banished. || 4 || 18 || 51 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: By His Grace, the Guru is found, and the Name of the Lord is implanted within. Without the Guru, no one has obtained it; they waste away their lives in vain. The self-willed manmukhs create karma, and in the Court of the Lord, they receive their punishment.

|| 1 || O mind, give up the love of duality. The Lord dwells within you; serving the Guru, you shall find peace. || Pause || When you love the Truth, your words are true; they reflect the True Word of the Shabad. The Name of the Lord dwells within the mind; egotism and anger are wiped away. Meditating on the Naam with a pure mind, the Door of Liberation is found. || 2 || Engrossed in egotism, the world perishes. It dies and is re-born; it continues coming and going in reincarnation. The self-willed manmukhs do not recognize the Shabad; they forfeit their honor, and depart in disgrace. Serving the Guru, the Name is obtained, and one remains absorbed in the True Lord. || 3 || With faith in the Shabad, the Guru is found, and selfishness is eradicated from within. Night and day, worship the True Lord with devotion and love forever.

The Treasure of the Naam abides in the mind; O Nanak, in the poise of perfect balance, merge into the Lord. || 4 || 19 || 52 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: Those who do not serve the True Guru shall be miserable throughout the four ages. The Primal Being is within their own home, but they do not recognize Him. They are plundered by their egotistical pride and arrogance. Cursed by the True Guru, they wander around the world begging, until they are exhausted. They do not serve the True Word of the Shabad, which is the solution to all of their problems. || 1 || O my mind, see the Lord ever close at hand. He shall remove the pains of death and rebirth; the Word of the Shabad shall fill you to overflowing. || 1 || Pause || Those who praise the True One are true; the True Name is their Support. They act truthfully, in love with the True Lord. The True King has written His Order, which no one can erase. The self-willed manmukhs do not obtain the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence. The false are plundered by falsehood.

|| 2 || Engrossed in egotism, the world perishes. Without the Guru, there is utter darkness. In emotional attachment to Maya, they have forgotten the Great Giver, the Giver of Peace. Those who serve the True Guru are saved; they keep the True One enshrined in their hearts. By His Grace, we find the Lord, and reflect on the True Word of the Shabad. || 3 || Serving the True Guru, the mind becomes immaculate and pure; egotism and corruption are discarded. So abandon your selfishness, and remain dead while yet alive. Contemplate the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. The pursuit of worldly affairs comes to an end, when you embrace love for the True One. Those who are attuned to Truth – their faces are radiant in the Court of the True Lord.

|| 4 || Those who do not have faith in the Primal Being, the True Guru, and who do not enshrine love for the Shabad – they take their cleansing baths, and give to charity again and again, but they are ultimately consumed by their love of duality. When the Dear Lord Himself grants His Grace, they are inspired to love the Naam. O Nanak, immerse yourself in the Naam, through the Infinite Love of the Guru. || 5 || 20 || 53 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: Whom shall I serve? What shall I chant? I will go and ask the Guru. I will accept the Will of the True Guru, and eradicate selfishness from within. By this work and service, the Naam shall come to dwell within my mind. Through the Naam, peace is obtained; I am adorned and embellished by the True Word of the Shabad.

|| 1 || O my mind, remain awake and aware night and day, and think of the Lord. Protect your crops, or else the birds shall descend on your farm. || 1 || Pause || The desires of the mind are fulfilled, when one is filled to overflowing with the Shabad. One who fears, loves, and is devoted to the Dear Lord day and night, sees Him always close at hand. Doubt runs far away from the bodies of those, whose minds remain forever attuned to the True Word of the Shabad. The Immaculate Lord and Master is found. He is True; He is the Ocean of Excellence. || 2 || Those who remain awake and aware are saved, while those who sleep are plundered. They do not recognize the True Word of the Shabad, and like a dream, their lives fade away. Like guests in a deserted house, they leave just exactly as they have come. The life of the self-willed manmukh passes uselessly.

What face will he show when he passes beyond? || 3 || God Himself is everything; those who are in their ego cannot even speak of this. Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, He is realized, and the pain of egotism is eradicated from within. I fall at the feet of those who serve their True Guru. O Nanak, I am a sacrifice to those who are found to be true in the True Court. || 4 || 21 || 54 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: Consider the time and the moment – when should we worship the Lord? Night and day, one who is attuned to the Name of the True Lord is true. If someone forgets the Beloved Lord, even for an instant, what sort of devotion is that? One whose mind and body are cooled and soothed by the True Lord – no breath of his is wasted. || 1 || O my mind, meditate on the Name of the Lord. True devotional worship is performed when the Lord comes to dwell in the mind.

|| 1 || Pause || With intuitive ease, cultivate your farm, and plant the Seed of the True Name. The seedlings have sprouted luxuriantly, and with intuitive ease, the mind is satisfied. The Word of the Guru’s Shabad is Ambrosial Nectar; drinking it in, thirst is quenched. This true mind is attuned to Truth, and it remains permeated with the True One. || 2 || In speaking, in seeing and in words, remain immersed in the Shabad. The Word of the Guru’s Bani vibrates throughout the four ages. As Truth, it teaches Truth. Egotism and possessiveness are eliminated, and the True One absorbs them into Himself. Those who remain lovingly absorbed in the True One see the Mansion of His Presence close at hand. || 3 || By His Grace, we meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. Without His Mercy, it cannot be obtained. Through perfect good destiny, one finds the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation, and one comes to meet the True Guru. Night and day, remain attuned to the Naam, and the pain of corruption shall be dispelled from within. O Nanak, merging with the Shabad through the Name, one is immersed in the Name.

|| 4 || 22 || 55 || SIREE RAAG, THIRD MEHL: Those who contemplate the Word of the Guru’s Shabad are filled with the Fear of God. They remain forever merged with the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation; they dwell upon the Glories of the True One. They cast off the filth of their mental duality, and they keep the Lord enshrined in their hearts. True is their speech, and true are their minds. They are in love with the True One. || 1 || O my mind, you are filled with the filth of egotism. The Immaculate Lord is eternally Beautiful. We are adorned with the Word of the Shabad. || 1 || Pause || God joins to Himself those whose minds are fascinated with the True Word of His Shabad. Night and day, they are attuned to the Naam, and their light is absorbed into the Light. Through His Light, God is revealed. Without the True Guru, understanding is not obtained.