Ang-201 — Chapter 90
Why forget Him, who has given us everything?
Why forget Him, who is the Life of the living beings?
Why forget Him, who preserves us in the fire of the womb?
By Guru's Grace, rare is the one who realizes this.
Why forget Him, who lifts us up out of corruption?
Those separated from Him for countless lifetimes, are re-united with Him once again.
Through the Perfect Guru, this essential reality is understood.
O Nanak, God's humble servants meditate on Him. ||4||
O friends, O Saints, make this your work.
Renounce everything else, and chant the Name of the Lord.
Meditate, meditate, meditate in remembrance of Him, and find peace.
Chant the Naam yourself, and inspire others to chant it.
By loving devotional worship, you shall cross over the world-ocean.
Without devotional meditation, the body will be just ashes.
All joys and comforts are in the treasure of the Naam.
Even the drowning can reach the place of rest and safety.
All sorrows shall vanish.
O Nanak, chant the Naam, the treasure of excellence. ||5||
Love and affection, and the taste of yearning, have welled up within;
within my mind and body, this is my purpose:
beholding with my eyes His Blessed Vision, I am at peace.
My mind blossoms forth in ecstasy, washing the feet of the Holy.
The minds and bodies of His devotees are infused with His Love.
Rare is the one who obtains their company.
Show Your mercy - please, grant me this one request:
by Guru's Grace, may I chant the Naam.
His Praises cannot be spoken;
O Nanak, He is contained among all. ||6||
God, the Forgiving Lord, is kind to the poor.
He loves His devotees, and He is always merciful to them.
The Patron of the patronless, the Lord of the Universe, the Sustainer of the world,
the Nourisher of all beings.
The Primal Being, the Creator of the Creation.
The Support of the breath of life of His devotees.
Whoever meditates on Him is sanctified,
focusing the mind in loving devotional worship.
I am unworthy, lowly and ignorant.
Nanak has entered Your Sanctuary, O Supreme Lord God. ||7||
Everything is obtained: the heavens, liberation and deliverance,
if one sings the Lord's Glories, even for an instant.
So many realms of power, pleasures and great glories,
come to one whose mind is pleased with the Sermon of the Lord's Name.
Abundant foods, clothes and music
come to one whose tongue continually chants the Lord's Name, Har, Har.
His actions are good, he is glorious and wealthy;
the Mantra of the Perfect Guru dwells within his heart.
O God, grant me a home in the Company of the Holy.
All pleasures, O Nanak, are so revealed. ||8||20||
Salok:
He possesses all qualities; He transcends all qualities; He is the Formless Lord. He Himself is in Primal Samaadhi.
Through His Creation, O Nanak, He meditates on Himself. ||1||
Ashtapadee:
When this world had not yet appeared in any form,
who then committed sins and performed good deeds?
When the Lord Himself was in Profound Samaadhi,
then against whom were hate and jealousy directed?
When there was no color or shape to be seen,
then who experienced joy and sorrow?
When the Supreme Lord Himself was Himself All-in-all,
then where was emotional attachment, and who had doubts?
✦ 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.”
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.”