Selections from the Guru Granth Sahib · 166 of 228
Raag Aasaa: Shalok, Second Mehl
Shalok, Second Mehl:
If a servant performs service, while being vain and argumentative, he may talk as much as he wants, but he shall not be pleasing to his Master.
But if he eliminates his self-conceit and then performs service, he shall be honored.
O Nanak, if he merges with the one with whom he is attached, his attachment becomes acceptable. ||1||
Second Mehl:
Whatever is in the mind, comes forth; spoken words by themselves are just wind.
He sows seeds of poison, and demands Ambrosial Nectar. Behold - what justice is this? ||2||
Second Mehl:
Friendship with a fool never works out right.
As he knows, he acts; behold, and see that it is so.
One thing can be absorbed into another thing, but duality keeps them apart.
No one can issue commands to the Lord Master; offer instead humble prayers.
Practicing falsehood, only falsehood is obtained. O Nanak, through the Lord’s Praise, one blossoms forth. ||3||
Second Mehl:
Friendship with a fool, and love with a pompous person, are like lines drawn in water, leaving no trace or mark. ||4||
Second Mehl:
If a fool does a job, he cannot do it right.
Even if he does something right, he does the next thing wrong. ||5||
Pauree:
If a servant, performing service, obeys the Will of his Master, his honor increases, and he receives double his wages.
But if he claims to be equal to his Master, he earns his Master’s displeasure.
He loses his entire salary, and is also beaten on his face with shoes.
Let us all celebrate Him, from whom we receive our nourishment.
O Nanak, no one can issue commands to the Lord Master; let us offer prayers instead. ||22||
Shalok, Second Mehl:
What sort of gift is this, which we receive only by our own asking?
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 129 O Nanak, that is the most wonderful gift, which is received from the Lord, when He is totally pleased. ||1||
Second Mehl:
What sort of service is this, by which the fear of the Lord Master does not depart?
O Nanak, he alone is called a servant, who merges with the Lord Master. ||2||
Pauree:
O Nanak, the Lord’s limits cannot be known; He has no end or limitation.
He Himself creates, and then He Himself destroys.
Some have chains around their necks, while some ride on many horses.
He Himself acts, and He Himself causes us to act. Unto whom should I complain?
O Nanak, the One who created the creation - He Himself takes care of it. ||23||
Shalok, First Mehl:
He Himself fashioned the vessel of the body, and He Himself fills it.
Into some, milk is poured, while others remain on the fire.
Some lie down and sleep on soft beds, while others remain watchful.
He adorns those, O Nanak, upon whom He casts His Glance of Grace. ||1||
Second Mehl:
He Himself creates and fashions the world, and He Himself keeps it in order.
Having created the beings within it, He oversees their birth and death.
Unto whom should we speak, O Nanak, when He Himself is all-in-all? ||2||
Pauree:
The description of the greatness of the Great Lord cannot be described.
He is the Creator, all-lowerful and benevolent; He gives sustenance to all beings.
The mortal does that work, which has been pre-destined from the very beginning.
O Nanak, except for the One Lord, there is no other place at all.
He does whatever He wills. ||24||1||
Sudh||One Universal Creator God. Truth Is The Name. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying. Beyond Birth. Self-Existent. By Guru’s Grace:
Raag Aasaa, The Word Of The Devotees:
Kabeer, Naam Dayv And Ravi Daas.
Aasaa, Kabeer Jee:
Falling at the Feet of the Guru, I pray, and ask Him, “Why was man created?
What deeds cause the world to come into being, and be destroyed? Tell me, that I may understand.”||1||
O Divine Guru, please, show Mercy to me, and place me on the right path, by which the bonds of fear may be cut away.
The pains of birth and death come from past actions and karma; peace comes when the soul finds release from reincarnation. ||1||Pause||
The mortal does not break free from the bonds of the noose of Maya, and he does not seek the shelter of the profound, absolute Lord.
He does not realize the dignity of the self, and Nirvaanaa; because of this, his doubt does not depart. ||2||
The soul is not born, even though he thinks it is born; it is free from birth and death.
When the mortal gives up his ideas of birth and death, he remains constantly absorbed in the Lord’s Love. ||3||
As the reflection of an object blends in the water when the pitcher is broken, says Kabeer, just so virtue dispels doubt, and then the soul is absorbed in the profound, absolute Lord. ||4||1||
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 130 Aasaa:
They wear loin cloths, three and a half yards long, and triple-wound sacred threads.
They have rosaries around their necks, and they carry glittering jugs in their hands.
They are not called Saints of the Lord - they are thugs of Benares. ||1||
Such ‘saints’ are not pleasing to me;
they eat the trees along with the branches. ||1||Pause||
They wash their pots and pans before putting them on the stove, and they wash the wood before lighting it.
They dig up the earth and make two fireplaces, but they eat the whole person! ||2||
Those sinners continually wander in evil deeds, while they call themselves touch-nothing saints.
They wander around forever and ever in their self-conceit, and all their families are drowned. ||3||
He is attached to that, to which the Lord has attached him, and he acts accordingly.
Says Kabeer, one who meets the True Guru, is not reincarnated again. ||4||2||
Aasaa:
My Father has comforted me. He has given me a cozy bed, and placed His Ambrosial Nectar in my mouth.
How could I forget that Father from my mind?
When I go to the world hereafter, I shall not lose the game. ||1||
Maya is dead, O mother, and I am very happy.
I do not wear the patched coat, nor do I feel the chill. ||1||Pause||
I am a sacrifice to my Father, who gave me life.
He put an end to my association with the five deadly sins.
I have conquered those five demons, and trampled them underfoot.
Remembering the Lord in meditation, my mind and body are drenched with His Love. ||2||
My Father is the Great Lord of the Universe.
How shall I go to that Father?
When I met the True Guru, He showed me the Way.
The Father of the Universe is pleasing to my mind. ||3||
I am Your son, and You are my Father.
We both dwell in the same place.
Says Kabeer, the Lord’s humble servant knows only the One.
By Guru’s Grace, I have come to know everything. ||4||3||
Aasaa:
In one pot, they put a boiled chicken, and in the other pot, they put wine.
The five Yogis of the Tantric ritual sit there, and in their midst sits the noseless one, the shameless queen. ||1||
The bell of the shameless queen, Maya, rings in both worlds.
Some rare person of discriminating wisdom has cut off your nose. ||1||Pause||
Within all dwells the noseless Maya, who kills all, and destroys them.
She says, “I am the sister, and the daughter of the sister of everyone; I am the hand-maiden of one who marries me.”||2||
My Husband is the Great One of discriminating wisdom; He alone is called a Saint.
He stands by me, and no one else comes near me. ||3||
I have cut off her nose, and cut off her ears, and cutting her into bits, I have expelled her.
Says Kabeer, she is the darling of the three worlds, but the enemy of the Saints. ||4||4||
Aasaa:
The Yogis, celibates, penitents and Sannyaasees make pilgrimages to all the sacred places.
The Jains with shaven heads, the silent ones, the beggars with matted hair - in the end, they all shall die. ||1||
Meditate, therefore, on the Lord.
What can the Messenger of Death do to one whose tongue loves the Name of the Lord? ||1||Pause||
Those who know the Shaastras and the Vedas, astrology and the rules of grammar of many languages;
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 131 those who know Tantras and mantras and all medicines - even they shall die in the end. ||2||
Those who enjoy regal power and rule, royal canopies and thrones, many beautiful women, betel nuts, camphor and fragrant sandalwood oil - in the end, they too shall die. ||3||
I have searched all the Vedas, Puraanas and Simritees, but none of these can save anyone.
Says Kabeer, meditate on the Lord, and eliminate birth and death. ||4||5||
Aasaa:
The elephant is the guitar player, the ox is the drummer, and the crow plays the cymbals.
Putting on the skirt, the donkey dances around, and the water buffalo performs devotional worship. ||1||
The Lord, the King, has cooked the cakes of ice, but only the rare man of understanding eats them. ||1||Pause||
Sitting in his den, the lion prepares the betel leaves, and the muskrat brings the betel nuts.
Going from house to house, the mouse sings the songs of joy, and the turtle blows on the conch-shell. ||2||
The son of the sterile woman goes to get married, and the golden canopy is spread out for him.
He marries a beautiful and enticing young woman; the rabbit and the lion sing their praises. ||3||
Says Kabeer, listen, O Saints - the ant has eaten the mountain.
The turtle says, “I need a burning coal, also.” Listen to this mystery of the Shabad. ||4||6||
Aasaa:
The body is a bag with seventy-two chambers, and one opening, the Tenth Gate.
He alone is a real Yogi on this earth, who asks for the primal world of the nine regions. ||1||
Such a Yogi obtains the nine treasures.
He lifts his soul up from below, to the skies of the Tenth Gate. ||1||Pause||
He makes spiritual wisdom his patched coat, and meditation his needle. He twists the thread of the Word of the Shabad.
Making the five elements his deer skin to sit on, he walks on the Guru’s Path. ||2||
He makes compassion his shovel, his body the firewood, and he kindles the fire of divine vision.
He places love within his heart, and he remains in deep meditation throughout the four ages. ||3||
All Yoga is in the Name of the Lord; the body and the breath of life belong to Him.
Says Kabeer, if God grants His Grace, He bestows the insignia of Truth. ||4||7||
Aasaa:
Where have the Hindus and Muslims come from? Who put them on their different paths?
Think of this, and contemplate it within your mind, O men of evil intentions. Who will go to heaven and hell? ||1||
O Qazi, which book have you read?
Such scholars and students have all died, and none of them have discovered the inner meaning. ||1||Pause||
Because of the love of woman, circumcision is done; I don’t believe in it, O Siblings of Destiny.
If God wished me to be a Muslim, it would be cut off by itself. ||2||
If circumcision makes one a Muslim, then what about a woman?
She is the other half of a man’s body, and she does not leave him, so he remains a Hindu. ||3||
Give up your holy books, and remember the Lord, you fool, and stop oppressing others so badly.
Kabeer has grasped hold of the Lord’s Support, and the Muslims have utterly failed. ||4||8||
Aasaa:
As long as the oil and the wick are in the lamp, everything is illuminated.
Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 132 But when the oil is burnt, the wick goes out, and the mansion becomes desolate. ||1||
O mad-man, no one will keep you, for even a moment.
Meditate on the Name of that Lord. ||1||Pause||
Tell me, whose mother is that, whose father is that, and which man has a wife?
When the pitcher of the body breaks, no one cares for you at all. Everyone says, “Take him away, take him away!”||2||
Sitting on the threshold, his mother cries, and his brothers take away the coffin.
Taking down her hair, his wife cries out in sorrow, and the swan-soul departs all alone. ||3||
Says Kabeer, listen, O Saints, about the terrifying world-ocean.
This human suffers torture and the Messenger of Death will not leave him alone, O Lord of the World. ||4||9||
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