Selections from the Guru Granth Sahib · 10 of 228
Raag Maajh: Third Mehl
Maajh Third Mehl:
Serving the True Guru is the greatest greatness.
The Dear Lord automatically comes to dwell in the mind.
The Dear Lord is the fruit-bearing tree; drinking in the Ambrosial Nectar, thirst is quenched. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to the one who leads me to join the True Congregation.
The Lord Himself unites me with the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation. Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||1||Pause||
Section 06 - Raag Maajh - Part 022 I serve the True Guru; the Word of His Shabad is beautiful.
Through it, the Name of the Lord comes to dwell within the mind.
The Pure Lord removes the filth of egotism, and we are honored in the True Court. ||2||
Without the Guru, the Naam cannot be obtained.
The Siddhas and the seekers lack it; they weep and wail.
Without serving the True Guru, peace is not obtained; through perfect destiny, the Guru is found. ||3||
This mind is a mirror; how rare are those who, as Gurmukh, see themselves in it.
Rust does not stick to those who burn their ego.
The Unstruck Melody of the Bani resounds through the Pure Word of the Shabad; through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, we are absorbed into the True One. ||4||
Without the True Guru, the Lord cannot be seen.
Granting His Grace, He Himself has allowed me to see Him.
All by Himself, He Himself is permeating and pervading; He is intuitively absorbed in celestial peace. ||5||
One who becomes Gurmukh embraces love for the One.
Doubt and duality are burned away by the Word of the Guru’s Shabad.
Within his body, he deals and trades, and obtains the Treasure of the True Name. ||6||
The life-style of the Gurmukh is sublime; he sings the Praises of the Lord.
The Gurmukh finds the gate of salvation.
Night and day, he is imbued with the Lord’s Love. He sings the Lord’s Glorious Praises, and he is called to the Mansion of His Presence. ||7||
The True Guru, the Giver, is met when the Lord leads us to meet Him.
Through perfect destiny, the Shabad is enshrined in the mind.
O Nanak, the greatness of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is obtained by chanting the Glorious Praises of the True Lord. ||8||9||10||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
Those who lose their own selves obtain everything.
Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, they enshrine Love for the True one.
They trade in Truth, they gather in Truth, and they deal only in Truth. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those who sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, night and day.
I am Yours, You are my Lord and Master. You bestow greatness through the Word of Your Shabad. ||1||Pause||
That time, that moment is totally beautiful, when the True One becomes pleasing to my mind.
Serving the True One, true greatness is obtained. By Guru’s Grace, the True One is obtained. ||2||
The food of spiritual love is obtained when the True Guru is pleased.
Other essences are forgotten, when the Lord’s Essence comes to dwell in the mind.
Truth, contentment and intuitive peace and poise are obtained from the Bani, the Word of the Perfect Guru. ||3||
The blind and ignorant fools do not serve the True Guru;
how will they find the gate of salvation?
They die and die, over and over again, only to be reborn, over and over again. They are struck down at Death’s Door. ||4||
Those who know the essence of the Shabad, understand their own selves.
Immaculate is the speech of those who chant the Word of the Shabad.
Serving the True One, they find a lasting peace; they enshrine the nine treasures of the Naam within their minds. ||5||
Beautiful is that place, which is pleasing to the Lord’s Mind.
There, sitting in the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation, the Glorious Praises of the Lord are sung.
Night and day, the True One is praised; the Immaculate Sound-current of the Naad resounds there. ||6||
Section 06 - Raag Maajh - Part 023 The wealth of the self-willed manmukhs is false, and false is their ostentatious display.
They practice falsehood, and suffer terrible pain.
Deluded by doubt, they wander day and night; through birth and death, they lose their lives. ||7||
My True Lord and Master is very dear to me.
The Shabad of the Perfect Guru is my Support.
O Nanak, one who obtains the Greatness of the Naam, looks upon pain and pleasure as one and the same. ||8||10||11||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
The four sources of creation are Yours; the spoken word is Yours.
Without the Name, all are deluded by doubt.
Serving the Guru, the Lord’s Name is obtained. Without the True Guru, no one can receive it. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those who focus their consciousness on the Lord.
Through devotion to the Guru, the True One is found; He comes to abide in the mind, with intuitive ease. ||1||Pause||
Serving the True Guru, all things are obtained.
As are the desires one harbors, so are the rewards one receives.
The True Guru is the Giver of all things; through perfect destiny, He is met. ||2||
This mind is filthy and polluted; it does not meditate on the One.
Deep within, it is soiled and stained by the love of duality.
The egotists may go on pilgrimages to holy rivers, sacred shrines and foreign lands, but they only gather more of the dirt of egotism. ||3||
Serving the True Guru, filth and pollution are removed.
Those who focus their consciousness on the Lord remain dead while yet alive.
The True Lord is Pure; no filth sticks to Him. Those who are attached to the True One have their filth washed away. ||4||
Without the Guru, there is only pitch darkness.
The ignorant ones are blind-there is only utter darkness for them.
The maggots in manure do filthy deeds, and in filth they rot and putrefy. ||5||
Serving the Lord of Liberation, liberation is achieved.
The Word of the Shabad eradicates egotism and possessiveness.
So serve the Dear True Lord, night and day. By perfect good destiny, the Guru is found. ||6||
He Himself forgives and unites in His Union.
From the Perfect Guru, the Treasure of the Naam is obtained.
By the True Name, the mind is made true forever. Serving the True Lord, sorrow is driven out. ||7||
He is always close at hand-do not think that He is far away.
Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, recognize the Lord deep within your own being.
O Nanak, through the Naam, glorious greatness is received. Through the Perfect Guru, the Naam is obtained. ||8||11||12||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
Those who are True here, are True hereafter as well.
That mind is true, which is attuned to the True Shabad.
They serve the True One, and practice Truth; they earn Truth, and only Truth. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those whose minds are filled with the True Name.
They serve the True One, and are absorbed into the True One, singing the Glorious Praises of the True One. ||1||Pause||
The Pandits, the religious scholars read, but they do not taste the essence.
In love with duality and Maya, their minds wander, unfocused.
The love of Maya has displaced all their understanding; making mistakes, they live in regret. ||2||
But if they should meet the True Guru, then they obtain the essence of reality;
the Name of the Lord comes to dwell in their minds.
Section 06 - Raag Maajh - Part 024 Those who die in the Shabad and subdue their own minds, obtain the door of liberation. ||3||
They erase their sins, and eliminate their anger;
they keep the Guru’s Shabad clasped tightly to their hearts.
Those who are attuned to Truth, remain balanced and detached forever. Subduing their egotism, they are united with the Lord. ||4||
Deep within the nucleus of the self is the jewel; we receive it only if the Lord inspires us to receive it.
The mind is bound by the three dispositions-the three modes of Maya.
Reading and reciting, the Pandits, the religious scholars, and the silent sages have grown weary, but they have not found the supreme essence of the fourth state. ||5||
The Lord Himself dyes us in the color of His Love.
Only those who are steeped in the Word of the Guru’s Shabad are so imbued with His Love.
Imbued with the most beautiful color of the Lord’s Love, they sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, with great pleasure and joy. ||6||
To the Gurmukh, the True Lord is wealth, miraculous spiritual powers and strict self-discipline.
Through the spiritual wisdom of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the Gurmukh is liberated.
The Gurmukh practices Truth, and is absorbed in the Truest of the True. ||7||
The Gurmukh realizes that the Lord alone creates, and having created, He destroys.
To the Gurmukh, the Lord Himself is social class, status and all honor.
O Nanak, the Gurmukhs meditate on the Naam; through the Naam, they merge in the Naam. ||8||12||13||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
Creation and destruction happen through the Word of the Shabad.
Through the Shabad, creation happens again.
The Gurmukh knows that the True Lord is all-pervading. The Gurmukh understands creation and merger. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those who enshrine the Perfect Guru within their minds.
From the Guru comes peace and tranquility; worship Him with devotion, day and night. Chanting His Glorious Praises, merge into the Glorious Lord. ||1||Pause||
The Gurmukh sees the Lord on the earth, and the Gurmukh sees Him in the water.
The Gurmukh sees Him in wind and fire; such is the wonder of His Play.
One who has no Guru, dies over and over again, only to be re-born. One who has no Guru continues coming and going in reincarnation. ||2||
The One Creator has set this play in motion.
In the frame of the human body, He has placed all things.
Those few who are pierced through by the Word of the Shabad, obtain the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence. He calls them into His Wondrous Palace. ||3||
True is the Banker, and true are His traders.
They purchase Truth, with infinite love for the Guru.
They deal in Truth, and they practice Truth. They earn Truth, and only Truth. ||4||
Without investment capital, how can anyone acquire merchandise?
The self-willed manmukhs have all gone astray.
Without true wealth, everyone goes empty-handed; going empty-handed, they suffer in pain. ||5||
Some deal in Truth, through love of the Guru’s Shabad.
They save themselves, and save all their ancestors as well.
Very auspicious is the coming of those who meet their Beloved and find peace. ||6||
Deep within the self is the secret, but the fool looks for it outside.
The blind self-willed manmukhs wander around like demons;
but where the secret is, there, they do not find it. The manmukhs are deluded by doubt. ||7||
He Himself calls us, and bestows the Word of the Shabad.
The soul-bride finds intuitive peace and poise in the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence.
O Nanak, she obtains the glorious greatness of the Naam; she hears it again and again, and she meditates on it. ||8||13||14||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
The True Guru has imparted the True Teachings.
Section 06 - Raag Maajh - Part 025 Think of the Lord, who shall be your Help and Support in the end.
The Lord is Inaccessible and Incomprehensible. He has no master, and He is not born. He is obtained through love of the True Guru. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those who eliminate selfishness and conceit.
They eradicate selfishness and conceit, and then find the Lord; they are intuitively immersed in the Lord. ||1||Pause||
According to their pre-ordained destiny, they act out their karma.
Serving the True Guru, a lasting peace is found.
Without good fortune, the Guru is not found. Through the Word of the Shabad, they are united in the Lord’s Union. ||2||
The Gurmukhs remain unaffected in the midst of the world.
The Guru is their cushion, and the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is their Support.
Who can oppress the Gurmukh? One who tries shall perish, writhing in pain. ||3||
The blind self-willed manmukhs have no understanding at all.
They are the assassins of the self, and the butchers of the world.
By continually slandering others, they carry a terrible load, and they carry the loads of others for nothing. ||4||
This world is a garden, and my Lord God is the Gardener.
He always takes care of it-nothing is exempt from His Care.
As is the fragrance which He bestows, so is the fragrant flower known. ||5||
The self-willed manmukhs are sick and diseased in the world.
They have forgotten the Giver of peace, the Unfathomable, the Infinite.
These miserable people wander endlessly, crying out in pain; without the Guru, they find no peace. ||6||
The One who created them, knows their condition.
And if He inspires them, then they realize the Hukam of His Command.
Whatever He places within them, that is what prevails, and so they outwardly appear. ||7||
I know of no other except the True One.
Those, whom the Lord attaches to Himself, become pure.
O Nanak, the Naam, the Name of the Lord, abides deep within the heart of those, unto whom He has given it. ||8||14||15||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
Enshrining the Ambrosial Naam, the Name of the Lord, in the mind, all the pains of egotism, selfishness and conceit are eliminated.
By continually praising the Ambrosial Bani of the Word, I obtain the Amrit, the Ambrosial Nectar. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those who enshrine the Ambrosial Bani of the Word within their minds.
Enshrining the Ambrosial Bani in their minds, they meditate on the Ambrosial Naam. ||1||Pause||
Those who continually chant the Ambrosial Words of Nectar see and behold this Amrit everywhere with their eyes.
They continually chant the Ambrosial Sermon day and night; chanting it, they cause others to hear it. ||2||
Imbued with the Ambrosial Love of the Lord, they lovingly focus their attention on Him.
By Guru’s Grace, they receive this Amrit.
They chant the Ambrosial Name with their tongues day and night; their minds and bodies are satisfied by this Amrit. ||3||
That which God does is beyond anyone’s consciousness;
no one can erase the Hukam of His Command.
By His Command, the Ambrosial Bani of the Word prevails, and by His Command, we drink in the Amrit. ||4||
The actions of the Creator Lord are marvellous and wonderful.
This mind is deluded, and goes around the wheel of reincarnation.
Those who focus their consciousness on the Ambrosial Bani of the Word, hear the vibrations of the Ambrosial Word of the Shabad. ||5||
Section 06 - Raag Maajh - Part 026 You Yourself created the counterfeit and the genuine.
You Yourself appraise all people.
You appraise the true, and place them in Your Treasury; You consign the false to wander in delusion. ||6||
How can I behold You? How can I praise You?
By Guru’s Grace, I praise You through the Word of the Shabad.
In Your Sweet Will, the Amrit is found; by Your Will, You inspire us to drink in this Amrit. ||7||
The Shabad is Amrit; the Lord’s Bani is Amrit.
Serving the True Guru, it permeates the heart.
O Nanak, the Ambrosial Naam is forever the Giver of peace; drinking in this Amrit, all hunger is satisfied. ||8||15||16||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
The Ambrosial Nectar rains down, softly and gently.
How rare are those Gurmukhs who find it.
Those who drink it in are satisfied forever. Showering His Mercy upon them, the Lord quenches their thirst. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those Gurmukhs who drink in this Ambrosial Nectar.
The tongue tastes the essence, and remains forever imbued with the Lord’s Love, intuitively singing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||1||Pause||
By Guru’s Grace, intuitive understanding is obtained;
subduing the sense of duality, they are in love with the One.
When He bestows His Glance of Grace, then they sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord; by His Grace, they merge in Truth. ||2||
Above all is Your Glance of Grace, O God.
Upon some it is bestowed less, and upon others it is bestowed more.
Without You, nothing happens at all; the Gurmukhs understand this. ||3||
The Gurmukhs contemplate the essence of reality;
Your Treasures are overflowing with Ambrosial Nectar.
Without serving the True Guru, no one obtains it. It is obtained only by Guru’s Grace. ||4||
Those who serve the True Guru are beautiful.
The Ambrosial Naam, the Name of the Lord, entices their inner minds.
Their minds and bodies are attuned to the Ambrosial Bani of the Word; this Ambrosial Nectar is intuitively heard. ||5||
The deluded, self-willed manmukhs are ruined through the love of duality.
They do not chant the Naam, and they die, eating poison.
Night and day, they continually sit in manure. Without selfless service, their lives are wasted away. ||6||
They alone drink in this Amrit, whom the Lord Himself inspires to do so.
By Guru’s Grace, they intuitively enshrine love for the Lord.
The Perfect Lord is Himself perfectly pervading everywhere; through the Guru’s Teachings, He is perceived. ||7||
He Himself is the Immaculate Lord.
He who has created, shall Himself destroy.
O Nanak, remember the Naam forever, and you shall merge into the True One with intuitive ease. ||8||16||17||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
Those who please You are linked to the Truth.
They serve the True One forever, with intuitive ease.
Through the True Word of the Shabad, they praise the True One, and they merge in the merging of Truth. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those who praise the True One.
Those who meditate on the True One are attuned to Truth; they are absorbed into the Truest of the True. ||1||Pause||
The True One is everywhere, wherever I look.
By Guru’s Grace, I enshrine Him in my mind.
True are the bodies of those whose tongues are attuned to Truth. They hear the Truth, and speak it with their mouths. ||2||
Section 06 - Raag Maajh - Part 027 Subduing their desires, they merge with the True One;
they see in their minds that everyone comes and goes in reincarnation.
Serving the True Guru, they become stable forever, and they obtain their dwelling in the home of the self. ||3||
Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, the Lord is seen within one’s own heart.
Through the Shabad, I have burned my emotional attachment to Maya.
I gaze upon the Truest of the True, and I praise Him. Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, I obtain the True One. ||4||
Those who are attuned to Truth are blessed with the Love of the True One.
Those who praise the Lord’s Name are very fortunate.
Through the Word of His Shabad, the True One blends with Himself, those who join the True Congregation and sing the Glorious Praises of the True One. ||5||
We could read the account of the Lord, if He were in any account.
He is Inaccessible and Incomprehensible; through the Shabad, understanding is obtained.
Night and day, praise the True Word of the Shabad. There is no other way to know His Worth. ||6||
People read and recite until they grow weary, but they do not find peace.
Consumed by desire, they have no understanding at all.
They purchase poison, and they are thirsty with their fascination for poison. Telling lies, they eat poison. ||7||
By Guru’s Grace, I know the One.
Subduing my sense of duality, my mind is absorbed into the True One.
O Nanak, the One Name is pervading deep within my mind; by Guru’s Grace, I receive it. ||8||17||18||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
In all colors and forms, You are pervading.
People die over and over again; they are re-born, and make their rounds on the wheel of reincarnation.
You alone are Eternal and Unchanging, Inaccessible and Infinite. Through the Guru’s Teachings, understanding is imparted. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those who enshrine the Lord’s Name in their minds.
The Lord has no form, features or color. Through the Guru’s Teachings, He inspires us to understand Him. ||1||Pause||
The One Light is all-pervading; only a few know this.
Serving the True Guru, this is revealed.
In the hidden and in the obvious, He is pervading all places. Our light merges into the Light. ||2||
The world is burning in the fire of desire, in greed, arrogance and excessive ego.
People die over and over again; they are re-born, and lose their honor. They waste away their lives in vain. ||3||
Those who understand the Word of the Guru’s Shabad are very rare.
Those who subdue their egotism, come to know the three worlds.
Then, they die, never to die again. They are intuitively absorbed in the True One. ||4||
They do not focus their consciousness on Maya again.
They remain absorbed forever in the Word of the Guru’s Shabad.
They praise the True One, who is contained deep within all hearts. They are blessed and exalted by the Truest of the True. ||5||
Praise the True One, who is Ever-present.
Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, He is pervading everywhere.
By Guru’s Grace, we come to behold the True One; from the True One, peace is obtained. ||6||
The True One permeates and pervades the mind within.
The True One is Eternal and Unchanging; He does not come and go in reincarnation.
Those who are attached to the True One are immaculate and pure. Through the Guru’s Teachings, they merge in the True One. ||7||
Praise the True One, and no other.
Serving Him, eternal peace is obtained.
Section 06 - Raag Maajh - Part 028 O Nanak, those who are attuned to the Naam, reflect deeply on the Truth; they practice only Truth. ||8||18||19||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
The Word of the Shabad is Immaculate and Pure; the Bani of the Word is Pure.
The Light which is pervading among all is Immaculate.
So praise the Immaculate Word of the Lord’s Bani; chanting the Immaculate Name of the Lord, all filth is washed away. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those who enshrine the Giver of peace within their minds.
Praise the Immaculate Lord, through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. Listen to the Shabad, and quench your thirst. ||1||Pause||
When the Immaculate Naam comes to dwell in the mind, the mind and body become Immaculate, and emotional attachment to Maya departs.
Sing the Glorious Praises of the Immaculate True Lord forever, and the Immaculate Sound-current of the Naad shall vibrate within. ||2||
The Immaculate Ambrosial Nectar is obtained from the Guru.
When selfishness and conceit are eradicated from within, then there is no attachment to Maya.
Immaculate is the spiritual wisdom, and utterly immaculate is the meditation, of those whose minds are filled with the Immaculate Bani of the Word. ||3||
One who serves the Immaculate Lord becomes immaculate.
Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, the filth of egotism is washed away.
The Immaculate Bani and the Unstruck Melody of the Sound-current vibrate, and in the True Court, honor is obtained. ||4||
Through the Immaculate Lord, all become immaculate.
Immaculate is the mind which weaves the Word of the Lord’s Shabad into itself.
Blessed and very fortunate are those who are committed to the Immaculate Name; through the Immaculate Name, they are blessed and beautified. ||5||
Immaculate is the one who is adorned with the Shabad.
The Immaculate Naam, the Name of the Lord, entices the mind and body.
No filth ever attaches itself to the True Name; one’s face is made radiant by the True One. ||6||
The mind is polluted by the love of duality.
Filthy is that kitchen, and filthy is that dwelling;
eating filth, the self-willed manmukhs become even more filthy. Because of their filth, they suffer in pain. ||7||
The filthy, and the immaculate as well, are all subject to the Hukam of God’s Command.
They alone are immaculate, who are pleasing to the True Lord.
O Nanak, the Naam abides deep within the minds of the Gurmukhs, who are cleansed of all their filth. ||8||19||20||
Maajh, Third Mehl:
The Lord of the Universe is radiant, and radiant are His soul-swans.
Their minds and their speech are immaculate; they are my hope and ideal.
Their minds are radiant, and their faces are always beautiful; they meditate on the most radiant Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||1||
I am a sacrifice, my soul is a sacrifice, to those who sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe.
So chant Gobind, Gobind, the Lord of the Universe, day and night; sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord Gobind, through the Word of His Shabad. ||1||Pause||
Sing of the Lord Gobind with intuitive ease, in the Fear of the Guru; you shall become radiant, and the filth of egotism shall depart.
Remain in bliss forever, and perform devotional worship, day and night. Hear and sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord Gobind. ||2||
Channel your dancing mind in devotional worship, and through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, merge your mind with the Supreme Mind.
Let your true and perfect tune be the subjugation of your love of Maya, and let yourself dance to the Shabad. ||3||
People shout out loud and move their bodies, but if they are emotionally attached to Maya, then the Messenger of Death shall hunt them down.
Section 06 - Raag Maajh - Part 029 The love of Maya makes this mind dance, and the deceit within makes people suffer in pain. ||4||
When the Lord inspires one to become Gurmukh, and perform devotional worship, then his body and mind are attuned to His Love with intuitive ease.
The Word of His Bani vibrates, and the Word of His Shabad resounds, for the Gurmukh whose devotional worship is accepted. ||5||
One may beat upon and play all sorts of instruments, but no one will listen, and no one will enshrine it in the mind.
For the sake of Maya, they set the stage and dance, but they are in love with duality, and they obtain only sorrow. ||6||
Those whose inner beings are attached to the Lord’s Love are liberated.
They control their sexual desires, and their lifestyle is the self-discipline of Truth.
Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, they meditate forever on the Lord. This devotional worship is pleasing to the Lord. ||7||
To live as Gurmukh is devotional worship, throughout the four ages.
This devotional worship is not obtained by any other means.
O Nanak, the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is obtained only through devotion to the Guru. So focus your consciousness on the Guru’s Feet. ||8||20||21||