Ang-201 — Chapter 75
- his name is truly Ram Das, the Lord's servant.
He comes to have the Vision of the Lord, the Supreme Soul.
Deeming himself to be the slave of the Lord's slaves, he obtains it.
He knows the Lord to be Ever-present, close at hand.
Such a servant is honored in the Court of the Lord.
To His servant, He Himself shows His Mercy.
Such a servant understands everything.
Amidst all, his soul is unattached.
Such is the way, O Nanak, of the Lord's servant. ||6||
One who, in his soul, loves the Will of God,
is said to be Jivan Mukta - liberated while yet alive.
As is joy, so is sorrow to him.
He is in eternal bliss, and is not separated from God.
As is gold, so is dust to him.
As is ambrosial nectar, so is bitter poison to him.
As is honor, so is dishonor.
As is the beggar, so is the king.
Whatever God ordains, that is his way.
O Nanak, that being is known as Jivan Mukta. ||7||
All places belong to the Supreme Lord God.
According to the homes in which they are placed, so are His creatures named.
He Himself is the Doer, the Cause of causes.
Whatever pleases God, ultimately comes to pass.
He Himself is All-pervading, in endless waves.
The playful sport of the Supreme Lord God cannot be known.
As the understanding is given, so is one enlightened.
The Supreme Lord God, the Creator, is eternal and everlasting.
Forever, forever and ever, He is merciful.
Remembering Him, remembering Him in meditation, O Nanak, one is blessed with ecstasy. ||8||9||
Salok:
Many people praise the Lord. He has no end or limitation.
O Nanak, God created the creation, with its many ways and various species. ||1||
Ashtapadee:
Many millions are His devotees.
Many millions perform religious rituals and worldly duties.
Many millions become dwellers at sacred shrines of pilgrimage.
Many millions wander as renunciates in the wilderness.
Many millions listen to the Vedas.
Many millions become austere penitents.
Many millions enshrine meditation within their souls.
Many millions of poets contemplate Him through poetry.
Many millions meditate on His eternally new Naam.
O Nanak, none can find the limits of the Creator. ||1||
Many millions become self-centered.
Many millions are blinded by ignorance.
Many millions are stone-hearted misers.
Many millions are heartless, with dry, withered souls.
Many millions steal the wealth of others.
Many millions slander others.
Many millions struggle in Maya.
Many millions wander in foreign lands.
Whatever God attaches them to - with that they are engaged.
O Nanak, the Creator alone knows the workings of His creation. ||2||
Many millions are Siddhas, celibates and Yogis.
Many millions are kings, enjoying worldly pleasures.
Many millions of birds and snakes have been created.
Many millions of stones and trees have been produced.
Many millions are the winds, waters and fires.
Many millions are the countries and realms of the world.
Many millions are the moons, suns and stars.
✦ 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.”
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.”