Ang-11 — Chapter 8
You have so many Creative Powers, Lord; Your Bountiful Blessings are so Great.
So many of Your beings and creatures praise You day and night.
You have so many forms and colors, so many classes, high and low. ||3||
Meeting the True One, Truth wells up. The truthful are absorbed into the True Lord.
Intuitive understanding is obtained and one is welcomed with honor, through the Guru's Word, filled with the Fear of God.
O Nanak, the True King absorbs us into Himself. ||4||10||
Siree Raag, First Mehl:
It all worked out-I was saved, and the egotism within my heart was subdued.
The evil energies have been made to serve me, since I placed my faith in the True Guru.
I have renounced my useless schemes, by the Grace of the True, Carefree Lord. ||1||
O mind, meeting with the True One, fear departs.
Without the Fear of God, how can anyone become fearless? Become Gurmukh, and immerse yourself in the Shabad. ||1||Pause||
How can we describe Him with words? There is no end to the descriptions of Him.
There are so many beggars, but He is the only Giver.
He is the Giver of the soul, and the praanaa, the breath of life; when He dwells within the mind, there is peace. ||2||
The world is a drama, staged in a dream. In a moment, the play is played out.
Some attain union with the Lord, while others depart in separation.
Whatever pleases Him comes to pass; nothing else can be done. ||3||
The Gurmukhs purchase the Genuine Article. The True Merchandise is purchased with the True Capital.
Those who purchase this True Merchandise through the Perfect Guru are blessed.
O Nanak, one who stocks this True Merchandise shall recognize and realize the Genuine Article. ||4||11||
Siree Raag, First Mehl:
As metal merges with metal, those who chant the Praises of the Lord are absorbed into the Praiseworthy Lord.
Like the poppies, they are dyed in the deep crimson color of Truthfulness.
Those contented souls who meditate on the Lord with single-minded love, meet the True Lord. ||1||
O Siblings of Destiny, become the dust of the feet of the humble Saints.
In the Society of the Saints, the Guru is found. He is the Treasure of Liberation, the Source of all good fortune. ||1||Pause||
Upon that Highest Plane of Sublime Beauty, stands the Mansion of the Lord.
By true actions, this human body is obtained, and the door within ourselves which leads to the Mansion of the Beloved, is found.
The Gurmukhs train their minds to contemplate the Lord, the Supreme Soul. ||2||
By actions committed under the influence of the three qualities, hope and anxiety are produced.
Without the Guru, how can anyone be released from these three qualities? Through intuitive wisdom, we meet with Him and find peace.
Within the home of the self, the Mansion of His Presence is realized when He bestows His Glance of Grace and washes away our pollution. ||3||
Without the Guru, this pollution is not removed. Without the Lord, how can there be any homecoming?
Contemplate the One Word of the Shabad, and abandon other hopes.
O Nanak, I am forever a sacrifice to the one who beholds, and inspires others to behold Him. ||4||12||
Siree Raag, First Mehl:
The life of the discarded bride is cursed. She is deceived by the love of duality.
Like a wall of sand, day and night, she crumbles, and eventually, she breaks down altogether.
Without the Word of the Shabad, peace does not come. Without her Husband Lord, her suffering does not end. ||1||
O soul-bride, without your Husband Lord, what good are your decorations?
✦ 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.”
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.”
Humility & Surrender
Bhagavad Gita 18:66
“Abandon all varieties of dharma and simply surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions; do not fear.”
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Tao Te Ching 22
“If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become full, let yourself be empty.”
Quran 2:45
“Seek help through patience and prayer. It is indeed exacting, but not for those who are humble.”
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.”