ONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS ISSUE

|| 15 || The Master Himself bestows honor. He creates and bestows body and soul. He Himself preserves the honor of His servants; He places both His Hands upon their foreheads.

|| 16 || All strict rituals are just clever contrivances. My God knows everything. He has made His Glory manifest, and all people celebrate Him.

|| 17 || He has not considered my merits and demerits; this is God’s Own Nature. Hugging me close in His Embrace, He protects me, and now, even the hot wind does not touch me.

|| 18 || Within my mind and body, I meditate on God. I have obtained the fruits of my soul’s desire. You are the Supreme Lord and Master, above the heads of kings. Nanak lives by chanting Your Name.

|| 19 || You Yourself created the Universe; You created the play of duality, and staged it. The Truest of the True is pervading everywhere; He instructs those with whom He is pleased.

|| 20 || By Guru’s Grace, I have found God. By His Grace, I have shed emotional attachment to Maya. Showering His Mercy, He has blended me into Himself.

|| 21 || You are the Gopis, the milk-maids of Krishna; You are the sacred river Jamunaa; You are Krishna, the herdsman. You Yourself support the world. By Your Command, human beings are fashioned. You Yourself embellish them, and then again destroy them.

|| 22 || Those who have focused their consciousness on the True Guru have rid themselves of the love of duality. The light of those mortal beings is immaculate. They depart after redeeming their lives. || 23 || Forever and ever, night and day, I praise the Greatness of Your Goodness. You bestow Your Gifts, even if we do not ask for them. Says Nanak, contemplate the True Lord.

|| 24 || 1 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: I fall at His Feet to please and appease Him. The True Guru has united me with the Lord, the Primal Being. There is no other as great as He. || 1 || Pause || The Lord of the Universe is my Sweet Beloved. He is sweeter than my mother or father. Among all sisters and brothers and friends, there is no one like You.

|| 1 || By Your Command, the month of Saawan has come. I have hooked up the plow of Truth, and I plant the seed of the Name in hopes that the Lord, in His Generosity, will bestow a bountiful harvest.

|| 2 || Meeting with the Guru, I recognize only the One Lord. In my consciousness, I do not know of any other
account. The Lord has assigned one task to me; as it pleases Him, I perform it.

|| 3 || Enjoy yourselves and eat, O Siblings of Destiny. In the Guru’s Court, He has blessed me with the Robe of Honor. I have become the Master of my body-village; I have taken the five rivals as prisoners.

|| 4 || I have come to Your Sanctuary. The five farm-hands have become my tenants; none dare to raise their heads against me. O Nanak, my village is populous and prosperous.

|| 5 || I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice to You. I meditate on You continually. The village was in ruins, but You have re-populated it. I am a sacrifice to You.

|| 6 || O Beloved Lord, I meditate on You continually; I obtain the fruits of my mind’s desires. All my affairs are arranged, and the hunger of my mind is appeased.

|| 7 || I have forsaken all my entanglements; I serve the True Lord of the Universe. I have firmly attached the Name, the Home of the Nine Treasures to my robe.

|| 8 || I have obtained the comfort of comforts. The Guru has implanted the Word of the Shabad deep within me. The True Guru has shown me my Husband Lord; He has placed His Hand upon my forehead.

|| 9 || I have established the Temple of Truth. I sought out the Guru’s Sikhs, and brought them into it. I wash their feet, and wave the fan over them. Bowing low, I fall at their feet.

|| 10 || I heard of the Guru, and so I went to Him. He instilled within me the Naam, the goodness of charity and true cleansing. All the world is liberated, O Nanak, by embarking upon the Boat of Truth.

|| 11 || The whole Universe serves You, day and night. Please hear my prayer, O Dear Lord. I have thoroughly tested and seen all – You alone, by Your Pleasure, can save us.

|| 12 || Now, the Merciful Lord has issued His Command. Let no one chase after and attack anyone else. Let all abide in peace, under this Benevolent Rule.

|| 13 || Softly and gently, drop by drop, the Ambrosial Nectar trickles down. I speak as my Lord and Master causes me to speak. I place all my faith in You; please accept me.

|| 14 || Your devotees are forever hungry for You. O Lord, please fulfill my desires. Grant me the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan, O Giver of Peace. Please, take me into Your Embrace.

|| 15 || I have not found any other as Great as You. You pervade the continents, the worlds and the nether regions; You are permeating all places and interspaces. Nanak: You are the True Support of Your devotees.

|| 16 || I am a wrestler; I belong to the Lord of the World. I met with the Guru, and I have tied a tall, plumed turban. All have gathered to watch the wrestling match, and the Merciful Lord Himself is seated to behold it.

|| 17 || The bugles play and the drums beat. The wrestlers enter the arena and circle around. I have thrown the five challengers to the ground, and the Guru has patted me on the back.

|| 18 || All have gathered together, but we shall return home by different routes. The Gurmukhs reap their profits and leave, while the self-willed manmukhs lose their investment and depart.

|| 19 || You are without color or mark. The Lord is seen to be manifest and present. Hearing of Your Glories again and again, Your devotees meditate on You; they are attuned to You, O Lord, Treasure of Excellence.

|| 20 || Through age after age, I am the servant of the Merciful Lord. The Guru has cut away my bonds. I shall not have to dance in the wrestling arena of life again. Nanak has searched, and found this opportunity.

|| 21 || 2 || 29 || ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL, PEHRAY, FIRST HOUSE: In the first watch of the night, O my merchant friend, you were cast into the womb, by the Lord’s Command. Upside-down, within the womb, you performed penance, O my merchant friend, and you prayed to your Lord and Master. You uttered prayers to your Lord and Master, while upside-down, and you meditated on Him with deep love and affection. You came into this Dark Age of Kali Yuga naked, and you shall depart again naked. As God’s Pen has written on your forehead, so it shall be with your soul. Says Nanak, in the first watch of the night, by the Hukam of the Lord’s Command, you enter into the womb.

|| 1 || In the second watch of the night, O my merchant friend, you have forgotten to meditate. From hand to hand, you are passed around, O my merchant friend, like Krishna in the house of Yashoda. From hand to hand, you are passed around, and your mother says, “This is my son.” O, my thoughtless and foolish mind, think: In the end, nothing shall be yours. You do not know the One who created the creation. Gather spiritual wisdom within your mind. Says Nanak, in the second watch of the night, you have forgotten to meditate.

|| 2 || In the third watch of the night, O my merchant friend, your consciousness is focused on wealth and youth. You have not remembered the Name of the Lord, O my merchant friend, although it would release you from bondage. You do not remember the Name of the Lord, and you become confused by Maya. Revelling in your riches and intoxicated with youth, you waste your life uselessly. You have not traded in righteousness and Dharma; you have not made good deeds your friends. Says Nanak, in the third watch of the night, your mind is attached to wealth and youth.

|| 3 || In the fourth watch of the night, O my merchant friend, the Grim Reaper comes to the field. When the Messenger of Death seizes and dispatches you, O my merchant friend, no one knows the mystery of where you have gone. So think of the Lord! No one knows this secret, of when the Messenger of Death will seize you and take you away. All your weeping and wailing then is false. In an instant, you become a stranger. You obtain exactly what you have longed for. Says Nanak, in the fourth watch of the night, O mortal, the Grim Reaper has harvested your field.

|| 4 || 1 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: In the first watch of the night, O my merchant friend, your innocent mind has a child-like understanding. You drink milk, and you are fondled so gently, O my merchant friend. The mother and father love their child so much, but in Maya, all are caught in emotional attachment. By the good fortune of good deeds done in the past, you have come, and now you perform actions to determine your future. Without the Lord’s Name, liberation is not obtained, and you are drowned in the love of duality. Says Nanak, in the first watch of the night, O mortal, you shall be saved by remembering the Lord.

TO BE CONTINUED