CONTD FROM Vol 8 ISSUE 31

|| 3 || The Lord makes the lives of His devotees fruitful; He Himself links them to the Guru’s service. Imbued with the Word of the Shabad, and intoxicated with celestial bliss, night and day, they sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. Slave Nanak utters this prayer: O Lord, please, let me fall at their feet.

|| 4 || 5 || SORAT’H, THIRD MEHL: He alone is a Sikh, a friend, a relative and a sibling, who walks in the Way of the Guru’s Will. One who walks according to his own will, O Siblings of Destiny, suffers separation from the Lord, and shall be punished.Without the True Guru, peace is never obtained, O Siblings of Destiny; again and again, he regrets and repents. || 1 || The Lord’s slaves are happy, O Siblings of Destiny. The sins and sorrows of countless lifetimes are eradicated; the Lord Himself unites them in His Union.

|| Pause || All of these relatives are like chains upon the soul, O Siblings of Destiny; the world is deluded by doubt.Without the Guru, the chains cannot be broken; the Gurmukhs find the door of salvation. One who performs rituals without realizing the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, shall die and be reborn, again and again. || 2 || The world is entangled in egotism and possessiveness, O Siblings of Destiny, but no one belongs to anyone else. The Gurmukhs attain the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence, singing the Glories of the Lord; they dwell in the home of their own inner being. One who understands here, realizes himself; the Lord God belongs to him.

|| 3 || The True Guru is forever merciful, O Siblings of Destiny; without good destiny, what can anyone obtain? He looks alike upon all with His Glance of Grace, but people receive the fruits of their rewards according to their love for the Lord. O Nanak, when the Naam, the Name of the Lord, comes to dwell within the mind, then self-conceit is eradicated from within.

|| 4 || 6 || SORAT’H, THIRD MEHL, CHAU-TUKAS: True devotional worship is obtained only through the True Guru, when the True Word of His Bani is in the heart. Serving the True Guru, eternal peace is obtained; egotism is obliterated through the Word of the Shabad.Without the Guru, there is no true devotion; otherwise, people wander around, deluded by ignorance. The selfwilled manmukhs wander around, suffering in constant pain; they drown and die, even without water.

|| 1 || O Siblings of Destiny, remain forever in the Lord’s Sanctuary, under His Protection. Bestowing His Glance of Grace, He preserves our honor, and blesses us with the glory of the Lord’s Name. || Pause || Through the Perfect Guru, one comes to understand himself, contemplating the True Word of the Shabad. The Lord, the Life of the world, ever abides in his heart, and he renounces sexual desire, anger and egotism. The Lord is ever-present, permeating and pervading all places; the Name of the Infinite Lord is enshrined within the heart.

Throughout the ages, through the Word of His Bani, His Shabad is realized, and the Name becomes so sweet and beloved to the mind. || 2 || Serving the Guru, one realizes the Naam, the Name of the Lord; fruitful is his life, and his coming into the world. Tasting the sublime elixir of the Lord, his mind is satisfied and satiated forever; singing the Glories of the Glorious Lord, he is fulfilled and satisfied.

The lotus of his heart blossoms forth, he is ever imbued with the Lord’s Love, and the unstruck melody of the Shabad resounds within him. His body and mind become immaculately pure; his speech becomes immaculate as well, and he merges in the Truest of the True. || 3 || No one knows the state of the Lord’s Name; through the Guru’s Teachings, it comes to abide in the heart. One who becomes Gurmukh, understands the Path; his tongue savors the sublime essence of the Lord’s Nectar. Meditation, austere self-discipline and self-restraint are all obtained from the Guru; the Naam, the Name of the Lord, comes to abide within the heart.

O Nanak, those humble beings who praise the Naam are beautiful; they are honored in the Court of the True Lord. || 4 || 7 || SORAT’H, THIRD MEHL, DU-TUKAS: Meeting the True Guru, one turns away from the world, O Siblings of Destiny; when he remains dead while yet alive, he obtains true understanding. He alone is the Guru, and he alone is a Sikh, O Siblings of Destiny, whose light merges in the Light. || 1 || O my mind, be lovingly attuned to the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. Chanting the Name of the Lord, it seems so sweet to the mind, O Siblings of Destiny; the Gurmukhs obtain a place in the Court of the Lord.

|| Pause || Without the Guru, love for the Lord does not well up, O Siblings of Destiny; the selfwilled manmukhs are engrossed in the love of duality. Actions performed by the manmukh are like the threshing of the chaff – they obtain nothing for their efforts. || 2 || Meeting the Guru, the Naam comes to permeate the mind, O Siblings of Destiny, with true love and affection. He always sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord, O Siblings of Destiny, with infinite love for the Guru.

|| 3 || How blessed and approved is his coming into the world, O Siblings of Destiny, who focuses his mind on serving the Guru. O Nanak, the Name of the Lord is obtained, O Siblings of Destiny, through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, and we merge with the Lord. || 4 || 8 || SORAT’H, THIRD MEHL, FIRST HOUSE: The three worlds are entangled in the three qualities, O Siblings of Destiny; the Guru imparts understanding. Attached to the Lord’s Name, one is emancipated, O Siblings of Destiny; go and ask the wise ones about this.

|| 1 || O mind, renounce the three qualities, and focus your consciousness on the fourth state. The Dear Lord abides in the mind, O Siblings of Destiny; ever sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. || Pause || From the Naam, everyone originated, O Siblings of Destiny; forgetting the Naam, they die away. The ignorant world is blind, O Siblings of Destiny; those who sleep are plundered.

|| 2 || Those Gurmukhs who remain awake are saved, O Siblings of Destiny; they cross over the terrifying world-ocean. In this world, the Name of the Lord is the true profit, O Siblings of Destiny; keep it enshrined within your heart. || 3 || In the Guru’s Sanctuary, O Siblings of Destiny, you shall be saved; be lovingly attuned to the Lord’s Name. O Nanak, the Name of the Lord is the boat, and the Name is the raft, O Siblings of Destiny; setting out on it, the Lord’s humble servant crosses over the world-ocean.

|| 4 || 9 || SORAT’H, THIRD MEHL, FIRST HOUSE: The True Guru is the ocean of peace in the world; there is no other place of rest and peace. The world is afflicted with the painful disease of egotism; dying, only to be reborn, it cries out in pain. || 1 || O mind, serve the True Guru, and obtain peace. If you serve the True Guru, you shall find peace; otherwise, you shall depart, after wasting away your life in vain. || Pause || Led around by the three qualities, he does many deeds, but he does not come to taste and savor the subtle essence of the Lord.

He says his evening prayers, and makes offerings of water, and recites his morning prayers, but without true understanding, he still suffers in pain. || 2 || One who serves the True Guru is very fortunate; as the Lord so wills, he meets with the Guru. Drinking in the sublime essence of the Lord, His humble servants remain ever satisfied; they eradicate self-conceit from within themselves.

|| 3 || This world is blind, and all act blindly; without the Guru, no one finds the Path. O Nanak, meeting with the True Guru, one sees with his eyes, and finds the True Lord within the home of his own being. || 4 || 10 || SORAT’H, THIRD MEHL: Without serving the True Guru, he suffers in terrible pain, and throughout the four ages, he wanders aimlessly. I am poor and meek, and throughout the ages, You are the Great Giver – please, grant me the understanding of the Shabad.

|| 1 || O Dear Beloved Lord, please show mercy to me. Unite me in the Union of the True Guru, the Great Giver, and give me the support of the Lord’s Name. || Pause || Conquering my desires and duality, I have merged in celestial peace, and I have found the Naam, the Name of the Infinite Lord. I have tasted the sublime essence of the Lord, and my soul has become immaculately pure; the Lord is the Destroyer of sins. || 2 || Dying in the Word of the Shabad, you shall live forever, and you shall never die again. The Ambrosial Nectar of the Naam is ever-sweet to the mind; but how few are those who obtain the Shabad.

|| 3 || The Great Giver keeps His Gifts in His Hand; He gives them to those with whom He is pleased. O Nanak, imbued with the Naam, they find peace, and in the Court of the Lord, they are exalted. || 4 || 11 || SORAT’H, THIRD MEHL: Serving the True Guru, the divine melody wells up within, and one is blessed with wisdom and salvation. The True Name of the Lord comes to abide in the mind, and through the Name, one merges in the Name. || 1 || Without the True Guru, the whole world is insane.

The blind, self-willed manmukhs do not realize the Word of the Shabad; they are deluded by false doubts. || Pause || The three-faced Maya had led them astray in doubt, and they are snared by the noose of egotism. Birth and death hang over their heads, and being reborn from the womb, they suffer in pain. || 2 || The three qualities permeate the whole world; acting in ego, it loses its honor. But one who becomes Gurmukh comes to realize the fourth state of celestial bliss; he finds peace through the Name of the Lord.

|| 3 || The three qualities are all Yours, O Lord; You Yourself created them. Whatever You do, comes to pass. O Nanak, through the Lord’s Name, one is emancipated; through the Shabad, he is rid of egotism. || 4 || 12 || SORAT’H, FOURTH MEHL, FIRST HOUSE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: My Beloved Lord Himself pervades and permeates all; He Himself is, all by Himself. My Beloved Himself is the trader in this world; He Himself is the true banker. My Beloved Himself is the trade and the trader; He Himself is the true credit.

|| 1 || O mind, meditate on the Lord, Har, Har, and praise His Name. By Guru’s Grace, the Beloved, Ambrosial, unapproachable and unfathomable Lord is obtained. || Pause || The Beloved Himself sees and hears everything; He Himself speaks through the mouths of all beings. The Beloved Himself leads us into the wilderness, and He Himself shows us the Way. The Beloved Himself is Himself all-in-all; He Himself is carefree.

|| 2 || The Beloved Himself, all by Himself, created everything; He Himself links all to their tasks. The Beloved Himself creates the Creation, and He Himself destroys it. He Himself is the wharf, and He Himself is the ferryman, who ferries us across. || 3 || The Beloved Himself is the ocean, and the boat; He Himself is the Guru, the boatman who steers it. The Beloved Himself sets sail and crosses over; He, the King, beholds His wondrous play. The Beloved Himself is the Merciful Master; O servant Nanak, He forgives and blends with Himself.