Selections from the Guru Granth Sahib · 159 of 228
Raag Aasaa: Shalok, First Mehl (II)
Shalok, First Mehl:
In the Fear of God, the wind and breezes ever blow.
In the Fear of God, thousands of rivers flow.
In the Fear of God, fire is forced to labor.
In the Fear of God, the earth is crushed under its burden.
In the Fear of God, the clouds move across the sky.
In the Fear of God, the Righteous Judge of Dharma stands at His Door.
In the Fear of God, the sun shines, and in the Fear of God, the moon reflects.
They travel millions of miles, endlessly.
In the Fear of God, the Siddhas exist, as do the Buddhas, the demi-gods and Yogis.
In the Fear of God, the Akaashic ethers are stretched across the sky.
In the Fear of God, the warriors and the most powerful heroes exist.
In the Fear of God, multitudes come and go.
God has inscribed the Inscription of His Fear upon the heads of all.
O Nanak, the Fearless Lord, the Formless Lord, the True Lord, is One. ||1||
First Mehl:
O Nanak, the Lord is fearless and formless; myriads of others, like Rama, are mere dust before Him.
There are so many stories of Krishna, so many who reflect over the Vedas.
So many beggars dance, spinning around to the beat.
The magicians perform their magic in the market place, creating a false illusion.
They sing as kings and queens, and speak of this and that.
They wear earrings, and necklaces worth thousands of dollars.
Those bodies on which they are worn, O Nanak, those bodies turn to ashes.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 119 Wisdom cannot be found through mere words. To explain it is as hard as iron.
When the Lord bestows His Grace, then alone it is received; other tricks and orders are useless. ||2||
Pauree:
If the Merciful Lord shows His Mercy, then the True Guru is found.
This soul wandered through countless incarnations, until the True Guru instructed it in the Word of the Shabad.
There is no giver as great as the True Guru; hear this, all you people.
Meeting the True Guru, the True Lord is found; He removes self-conceit from within, and instructs us in the Truth of Truths. ||4||
Shalok, First Mehl:
All the hours are the milk-maids, and the quarters of the day are the Krishnas.
The wind, water and fire are the ornaments; the sun and moon are the incarnations.
All of the earth, property, wealth and articles are all entanglements.
O Nanak, without divine knowledge, one is plundered, and devoured by the Messenger of Death. ||1||
First Mehl:
The disciples play the music, and the gurus dance.
They move their feet and roll their heads.
The dust flies and falls upon their hair.
Beholding them, the people laugh, and then go home.
They beat the drums for the sake of bread.
They throw themselves upon the ground.
They sing of the milk-maids, they sing of the Krishnas.
They sing of Sitas, and Ramas and kings.
The Lord is fearless and formless; His Name is True.
The entire universe is His Creation.
Those servants, whose destiny is awakened, serve the Lord.
The night of their lives is cool with dew; their minds are filled with love for the Lord.
Contemplating the Guru, I have been taught these teachings;
granting His Grace, He carries His servants across.
The oil-press, the spinning wheel, the grinding stones, the potter’s wheel, the numerous, countless whirlwinds in the desert, the spinning tops, the churning sticks, the threshers, the breathless tumblings of the birds, and the men moving round and round on spindles
- O Nanak, the tumblers are countless and endless.
The Lord binds us in bondage - so do we spin around.
According to their actions, so do all people dance.
Those who dance and dance and laugh, shall weep on their ultimate departure.
They do not fly to the heavens, nor do they become Siddhas.
They dance and jump around on the urgings of their minds.
O Nanak, those whose minds are filled with the Fear of God, have the love of God in their minds as well. ||2||
Pauree:
Your Name is the Fearless Lord; chanting Your Name, one does not have to go to hell.
Soul and body all belong to Him; asking Him to give us sustenance is a waste.
If you yearn for goodness, then perform good deeds and feel humble.
Even if you remove the signs of old age, old age shall still come in the guise of death.
No one remains here when the count of the breaths is full. ||5||