Ang-1301 — Chapter 83
They remain there, in those unhonored graves.
O Shaykh, dedicate yourself to God; you will have to depart, today or tomorrow. ||97||
Fareed, the shore of death looks like the river-bank, being eroded away.
Beyond is the burning hell, from which cries and shrieks are heard.
Some understand this completely, while others wander around carelessly.
Those actions which are done in this world, shall be examined in the Court of the Lord. ||98||
Fareed, the crane perches on the river bank, playing joyfully.
While it is playing, a hawk suddenly pounces on it.
When the Hawk of God attacks, playful sport is forgotten.
God does what is not expected or even considered. ||99||
The body is nourished by water and grain.
The mortal comes into the world with high hopes.
But when the Messenger of Death comes, it breaks down all the doors.
It binds and gags the mortal, before the eyes of his beloved brothers.
Behold, the mortal being is going away, carried on the shoulders of four men.
Fareed, only those good deeds done in the world will be of any use in the Court of the Lord. ||100||
Fareed, I am a sacrifice to those birds which live in the jungle.
They peck at the roots and live on the ground, but they do not leave the Lord's side. ||101||
Fareed, the seasons change, the woods shake and the leaves drop from the trees.
I have searched in the four directions, but I have not found any resting place anywhere. ||102||
Fareed, I have torn my clothes to tatters; now I wear only a rough blanket.
I wear only those clothes which will lead me to meet my Lord. ||103||
Third Mehl:
Why do you tear apart your fine clothes, and take to wearing a rough blanket?
O Nanak, even sitting in your own home, you can meet the Lord, if your mind is in the right place. ||104||
Fifth Mehl:
Fareed, those who are very proud of their greatness, wealth and youth,
shall return empty-handed from their Lord, like sandhills after the rain. ||105||
Fareed, the faces of those who forget the Lord's Name are dreadful.
They suffer terrible pain here, and hereafter they find no place of rest or refuge. ||106||
Fareed, if you do not awaken in the early hours before dawn, you are dead while yet alive.
Although you have forgotten God, God has not forgotten you. ||107||
Fifth Mehl:
Fareed, my Husband Lord is full of joy; He is Great and Self-sufficient.
To be imbued with the Lord God - this is the most beautiful decoration. ||108||
Fifth Mehl:
Fareed, look upon pleasure and pain as the same; eradicate corruption from your heart.
Whatever pleases the Lord God is good; understand this, and you will reach His Court. ||109||
Fifth Mehl:
Fareed, the world dances as it dances, and you dance with it as well.
That soul alone does not dance with it, who is under the care of the Lord God. ||110||
Fifth Mehl:
Fareed, the heart is imbued with this world, but the world is of no use to it at all.
✦ 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.”
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.”