Ang-1301 — Chapter 54
Cursed is loving attachment to one's mother and father; cursed is loving attachment to one's siblings and relatives.
Cursed is attachment to the joys of family life with one's spouse and children.
Cursed is attachment to household affairs.
Only loving attachment to the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is True. Nanak dwells there in peace. ||2||
The body is false; its power is temporary.
It grows old; its love for Maya increases greatly.
The human is only a temporary guest in the home of the body, but he has high hopes.
The Righteous Judge of Dharma is relentless; he counts each and every breath.
The human body, so difficult to obtain, has fallen into the deep dark pit of emotional attachment. O Nanak, its only support is God, the Essence of Reality.
O God, Lord of the World, Lord of the Universe, Master of the Universe, please be kind to me. ||3||
This fragile body-fortress is made up of water, plastered with blood and wrapped in skin.
It has nine gates, but no doors; it is supported by pillars of wind, the channels of the breath.
The ignorant person does not meditate in remembrance on the Lord of the Universe; he thinks that this body is permanent.
This precious body is saved and redeemed in the Sanctuary of the Holy, O Nanak,
chanting the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Haray. ||4||
O Glorious, Eternal and Imperishable, Perfect and Abundantly Compassionate,
Profound and Unfathomable, Lofty and Exalted, All-knowing and Infinite Lord God.
O Lover of Your devoted servants, Your Feet are a Sanctuary of Peace.
O Master of the masterless, Helper of the helpless, Nanak seeks Your Sanctuary. ||5||
Seeing the deer, the hunter aims his weapons.
But if one is protected by the Lord of the World, O Nanak, not a hair on his head will be touched. ||6||
He may be surrounded on all four sides by servants and powerful warriors;
he may dwell in a lofty place, difficult to approach, and never even think of death.
But when the Order comes from the Primal Lord God, O Nanak, even an ant can take away his breath of life. ||7||
To be imbued and attuned to the Word of the Shabad; to be kind and compassionate; to sing the Kirtan of the Lord's Praises - these are the most worthwhile actions in this Dark Age of Kali Yuga.
In this way, one's inner doubts and emotional attachments are dispelled.
God is pervading and permeating all places.
So obtain the Blessed Vision of His Darshan; He dwells upon the tongues of the Holy.
O Nanak, meditate and chant the Name of the Beloved Lord, Har, Har, Har, Haray. ||8||
Beauty fades away, islands fade away, the sun, moon, stars and sky fade away.
The earth, mountains, forests and lands fade away.
One's spouse, children, siblings and loved friends fade away.
Gold and jewels and the incomparable beauty of Maya fade away.
Only the Eternal, Unchanging Lord does not fade away.
O Nanak, only the humble Saints are steady and stable forever. ||9||
Do not delay in practicing righteousness; delay in committing sins.
Implant the Naam, the Name of the Lord, within yourself, and abandon greed.
In the Sanctuary of the Saints, the sins are erased. The character of righteousness is received by that person,
O Nanak, with whom the Lord is pleased and satisfied. ||10||
The person of shallow understanding is dying in emotional attachment; he is engrossed in pursuits of pleasure with his wife.
With youthful beauty and golden earrings,
wondrous mansions, decorations and clothes - this is how Maya clings to him.
O Eternal, Unchanging, Benevolent Lord God, O Sanctuary of the Saints, Nanak humbly bows to You. ||11||
If there is birth, then there is death. If there is pleasure, then there is pain. If there is enjoyment, then there is disease.
If there is high, then there is low. If there is small, then there is great.
✦ 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.”
Divine Compassion & Mercy
Quran 1:1
“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Psalm 23:1
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Luke 6:36
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Snp 1.8
“As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child, even so should one cultivate a limitless heart with regard to all beings.”
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.”
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.”