Ang-901 — Chapter 43
From the air came the beginning. This is the age of the True Guru's Teachings.
The Shabad is the Guru, upon whom I lovingly focus my consciousness; I am the chaylaa, the disciple.
Speaking the Unspoken Speech, I remain unattached.
O Nanak, throughout the ages, the Lord of the World is my Guru.
I contemplate the sermon of the Shabad, the Word of the One God.
The Gurmukh puts out the fire of egotism. ||44||
"With teeth of wax, how can one chew iron?
What is that food, which takes away pride?
How can one live in the palace, the home of snow, wearing robes of fire?
Where is that cave, within which one may remain unshaken?
Who should we know to be pervading here and there?
What is that meditation, which leads the mind to be absorbed in itself?" ||45||
Eradicating egotism and individualism from within,
and erasing duality, the mortal becomes one with God.
The world is difficult for the foolish, self-willed manmukh;
practicing the Shabad, one chews iron.
Know the One Lord, inside and out.
O Nanak, the fire is quenched, through the Pleasure of the True Guru's Will. ||46||
Imbued with the True Fear of God, pride is taken away;
realize that He is One, and contemplate the Shabad.
With the True Shabad abiding deep within the heart,
the body and mind are cooled and soothed, and colored with the Lord's Love.
The fire of sexual desire, anger and corruption is quenched.
O Nanak, the Beloved bestows His Glance of Grace. ||47||
"The moon of the mind is cool and dark; how is it enlightened?
How does the sun blaze so brilliantly?
How can the constant watchful gaze of Death be turned away?
By what understanding is the honor of the Gurmukh preserved?
Who is the warrior, who conquers Death?
Give us your thoughtful reply, O Nanak." ||48||
Giving voice to the Shabad, the moon of the mind is illuminated with infinity.
When the sun dwells in the house of the moon, the darkness is dispelled.
Pleasure and pain are just the same, when one takes the Support of the Naam, the Name of the Lord.
He Himself saves, and carries us across.
With faith in the Guru, the mind merges in Truth,
and then, prays Nanak, one is not consumed by Death. ||49||
The essence of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is known to be the most exalted and excellent of all.
Without the Name, one is afflicted by pain and death.
When one's essence merges into the essence, the mind is satisfied and fulfilled.
Duality is gone, and one enters into the home of the One Lord.
The breath blows across the sky of the Tenth Gate and vibrates.
O Nanak, the mortal then intuitively meets the eternal, unchanging Lord. ||50||
The absolute Lord is deep within; the absolute Lord is outside us as well. The absolute Lord totally fills the three worlds.
One who knows the Lord in the fourth state, is not subject to virtue or vice.
One who knows the mystery of God the Absolute, who pervades each and every heart,
Knows the Primal Being, the Immaculate Divine Lord.
That humble being who is imbued with the Immaculate Naam,
O Nanak, is himself the Primal Lord, the Architect of Destiny. ||51||
"Everyone speaks of the Absolute Lord, the unmanifest void.
How can one find this absolute void?
Who are they, who are attuned to this absolute void?"
They are like the Lord, from whom they originated.
They are not born, they do not die; they do not come and go.
O Nanak, the Gurmukhs instruct their minds. ||52||
By practicing control over the nine gates, one attains perfect control over the Tenth Gate.
There, the unstruck sound current of the absolute Lord vibrates and resounds.
Behold the True Lord ever-present, and merge with Him.
The True Lord is pervading and permeating each and every heart.
✦ 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.”