Ang-301 — Chapter 92
Gathering it and collecting it, he fills his bags.
But God takes it away from him, and gives it to another. ||1||
The mortal is like an unbaked clay pot in water;
indulging in pride and egotism, he crumbles down and dissolves. ||1||Pause||
Being fearless, he becomes unrestrained.
He does not think of the Creator, who is ever with him.
He raises armies, and collects arms.
But when the breath leaves him, he turns to ashes. ||2||
He has lofty palaces, mansions and queens,
elephants and pairs of horses, delighting the mind;
he is blessed with a great family of sons and daughters.
But, engrossed in attachment, the blind fool wastes away to death. ||3||
The One who created him destroys him.
Enjoyments and pleasures are like just a dream.
He alone is liberated, and possesses regal power and wealth,
O Nanak, whom the Lord Master blesses with His Mercy. ||4||35||86||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
The mortal is in love with this,
but the more he has, the more he longs for more.
It hangs around his neck, and does not leave him.
But falling at the feet of the True Guru, he is saved. ||1||
I have renounced and discarded Maya, the Enticer of the world.
I have met the Absolute Lord, and congratulations are pouring in. ||1||Pause||
She is so beautiful, she captivates the mind.
On the road, and the beach, at home, in the forest and in the wilderness, she touches us.
She seems so sweet to the mind and body.
But by Guru's Grace, I have seen her to be deceptive. ||2||
Her courtiers are also great deceivers.
They do not spare even their fathers or mothers.
They have enslaved their companions.
By Guru's Grace, I have subjugated them all. ||3||
Now, my mind is filled with bliss;
my fear is gone, and the noose is cut away.
Says Nanak, when I met the True Guru,
I came to dwell within my home in absolute peace. ||4||36||87||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
Twenty-four hours a day, he knows the Lord to be near at hand;
he surrenders to the Sweet Will of God.
The One Name is the Support of the Saints;
they remain the dust of the feet of all. ||1||
Listen, to the way of life of the Saints, O my Siblings of Destiny;
their praises cannot be described. ||1||Pause||
Their occupation is the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
The Kirtan, the Praise of the Lord, the embodiment of bliss, is their rest.
Friends and enemies are one and the same to them.
They know of no other than God. ||2||
They erase millions upon millions of sins.
They dispel suffering; they are givers of the life of the soul.
They are so brave; they are men of their word.
The Saints have enticed Maya herself. ||3||
Their company is cherished even by the gods and the angels.
Blessed is their Darshan, and fruitful is their service.
With his palms pressed together, Nanak offers his prayer:
O Lord, Treasure of Excellence, please bless me with the service of the Saints. ||4||37||88||
Aasaa, Fifth Mehl:
All peace and comforts are in the meditation of the One Name.
All righteous actions of Dharma are in the singing of the Lord's Glorious Praises.
The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is so very pure and sacred.
✦ 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.”
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.”