Ang-1001 — Chapter 36
There were no castes or social classes, no religious robes, no Brahmin or Kh'shaatriya.
There were no demi-gods or temples, no cows or Gaayatri prayer.
There were no burnt offerings, no ceremonial feasts, no cleansing rituals at sacred shrines of pilgrimage; no one worshipped in adoration. ||10||
There was no Mullah, there was no Qazi.
There was no Shaykh, or pilgrims to Mecca.
There was no king or subjects, and no worldly egotism; no one spoke of himself. ||11||
There was no love or devotion, no Shiva or Shakti - no energy or matter.
There were no friends or companions, no semen or blood.
He Himself is the banker, and He Himself is the merchant. Such is the Pleasure of the Will of the True Lord. ||12||
There were no Vedas, Korans or Bibles, no Simritees or Shaastras.
There was no recitation of the Puraanas, no sunrise or sunset.
The Unfathomable Lord Himself was the speaker and the preacher; the unseen Lord Himself saw everything. ||13||
When He so willed, He created the world.
Without any supporting power, He sustained the universe.
He created Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; He fostered enticement and attachment to Maya. ||14||
How rare is that person who listens to the Word of the Guru's Shabad.
He created the creation, and watches over it; the Hukam of His Command is over all.
He formed the planets, solar systems and nether regions, and brought what was hidden to manifestation. ||15||
No one knows His limits.
This understanding comes from the Perfect Guru.
O Nanak, those who are attuned to the Truth are wonderstruck; singing His Glorious Praises, they are filled with wonder. ||16||3||15||
Maaroo, First Mehl:
He Himself created the creation, remaining unattached.
The Merciful Lord has established His True Home.
Binding together air, water and fire, He created the fortress of the body. ||1||
The Creator established the nine gates.
In the Tenth Gate, is the dwelling of the infinite, unseen Lord.
The seven seas are overflowing with the Ambrosial Water; the Gurmukhs are not stained with filth. ||2||
The lamps of the sun and the moon fill all with light.
Creating them, He beholds His own glorious greatness.
The Giver of peace is forever the embodiment of Light; from the True Lord, glory is obtained. ||3||
Within the fortress are the stores and markets; the business is transacted there.
The Supreme Merchant weighs with the perfect weights.
He Himself buys the jewel, and He Himself appraises its value. ||4||
The Appraiser appraises its value.
The Independent Lord is overflowing with His treasures.
He holds all powers, He is all-pervading; how few are those who, as Gurmukh, understand this. ||5||
When He bestows His Glance of Grace, one meets the Perfect Guru.
The tyrannical Messenger of Death cannot strike him then.
He blossoms forth like the lotus flower in the water; he blossoms forth in joyful meditation. ||6||
He Himself rains down the Ambrosial Stream of jewels,
Diamonds, and rubies of priceless value.
When they meet the True Guru, then they find the Perfect Lord; they obtain the treasure of Love. ||7||
Whoever receives the priceless treasure of Love
- his weight never decreases; he has perfect weight.
The trader of Truth becomes true, and obtains the merchandise. ||8||
How rare are those who obtain the true merchandise.
Meeting the Perfect True Guru, one meets with the Lord.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Hadith (An-Nawawi 13)
“None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
Leviticus 19:18
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mahabharata 5.1517
“One should never do to another what one regards as injurious to oneself.”
Impermanence & Letting Go
Dhammapada 20:277
“All conditioned things are impermanent. When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”
Tao Te Ching 76
“A man is born gentle and weak. At his death he is hard and stiff. The soft and yielding is the disciple of life.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
Bhagavad Gita 2:22
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”
The Path to Wisdom
Proverbs 4:7
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
Dhammapada 20:282
“Wisdom springs from meditation; without meditation wisdom wanes.”
Analects 2:11
“If you study the past and use it to understand the present, you are worthy of being a teacher.”
Tao Te Ching 33
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Dhammapada 1:1-2
“Mind is the forerunner of all actions. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow.”
Genesis 1:3
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”