Ang-501 — Chapter 22
O Merciful Lord, You bless Your devotees with Your Grace.
Suffering, pain, terrible disease and Maya do not afflict them.
This is the Support of the devotees, that they sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe.
Forever and ever, day and night, they meditate on the One and Only Lord.
Drinking in the Ambrosial Amrit of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, His humble servants remain satisfied with the Naam. ||14||
Salok, Fifth Mehl:
Millions of obstacles stand in the way of one who forgets the Name.
O Nanak, night and day, he croaks like a raven in a deserted house. ||1||
Fifth Mehl:
Beauteous is that season, when I am united with my Beloved.
I do not forget Him for a moment or an instant; O Nanak, I contemplate Him constantly. ||2||
Pauree:
Even brave and mighty men cannot withstand the powerful
And overwhelming army which the five passions have gathered.
The ten organs of sensation attach even detached renunciates to sensory pleasures.
They seek to conquer and overpower them, and so increase their following.
The world of the three dispositions is under their influence; no one can stand against them.
So tell me - how can the fort of doubt and the moat of Maya be overcome?
Worshipping the Perfect Guru, this awesome force is subdued.
I stand before Him, day and night, with my palms pressed together. ||15||
Salok, Fifth Mehl:
All sins are washed away, by continually singing the Lord's Glories.
Millions of afflictions are produced, O Nanak, when the Name is forgotten. ||1||
Fifth Mehl:
O Nanak, meeting the True Guru, one comes to know the Perfect Way.
While laughing, playing, dressing and eating, he is liberated. ||2||
Pauree:
Blessed, blessed is the True Guru, who has demolished the fortress of doubt.
Waaho! Waaho! - Hail! Hail! to the True Guru, who has united me with the Lord.
The Guru has given me the medicine of the inexhaustible treasure of the Naam.
He has banished the great and terrible disease.
I have obtained the great treasure of the wealth of the Naam.
I have obtained eternal life, recognizing my own self.
The Glory of the all-powerful Divine Guru cannot be described.
The Guru is the Supreme Lord God, the Transcendent Lord, infinite, unseen and unknowable. ||16||
Salok, Fifth Mehl:
Make the effort, and you shall live; practicing it, you shall enjoy peace.
Meditating, you shall meet God, O Nanak, and your anxiety shall vanish. ||1||
Fifth Mehl:
Bless me with sublime thoughts, O Lord of the Universe, and contemplation in the immaculate Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy.
O Nanak, may I never forget the Naam, the Name of the Lord, for even an instant; be merciful to me, Lord God. ||2||
Pauree:
Whatever happens is according to Your Will, so why should I be afraid?
Meeting Him, I meditate on the Name - I offer my soul to Him.
When the Infinite Lord comes to mind, one is enraptured.
Who can touch one who has the Formless Lord on his side?
Everything is under His control; no one is beyond Him.
He, the True Lord, dwells in the minds of His devotees.
Your slaves meditate on You; You are the Savior, the Protector Lord.
✦ 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.”
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.”