Selections from the Guru Granth Sahib · 47 of 228
Raag Gauree: First Mehl
Gauree, First Mehl:
The duality of Maya dwells in the consciousness of the people of the world.
They are destroyed by sexual desire, anger and egotism. ||1||
Whom should I call the second, when there is only the One?
The One Immaculate Lord is pervading among all. ||1||Pause||
The dual-minded evil intellect speaks of a second.
One who harbors duality comes and goes and dies. ||2||
In the earth and in the sky, I do not see any second.
Among all the women and the men, His Light is shining. ||3||
In the lamps of the sun and the moon, I see His Light.
Dwelling among all is my ever-youthful Beloved. ||4||
In His Mercy, He attuned my consciousness to the Lord.
The True Guru has led me to understand the One Lord. ||5||
The Gurmukh knows the One Immaculate Lord.
Subduing duality, one comes to realize the Word of the Shabad. ||6||
The Command of the One Lord prevails throughout all the worlds.
From the One, all have arisen. ||7||
There are two routes, but remember that their Lord and Master is only One.
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, recognize the Hukam of the Lord's Command. ||8||
He is contained in all forms, colors and minds.
Says Nanak, praise the One Lord. ||9||5||
Gauree, First Mehl:
Those who live a spiritual lifestyle - they alone are true.
What can the false know about the secrets of liberation? ||1||
Those who contemplate the Way are Yogis.
They conquer the five thieves, and enshrine the True Lord in the heart. ||1||Pause||
Those who enshrine the True Lord deep within, realize the value of the Way of Yoga. ||2||
The sun and the moon are one and the same for them, as are household and wilderness.
The karma of their daily practice is to praise the Lord. ||3||
They beg for the alms of the one and only Shabad.
They remain awake and aware in spiritual wisdom and meditation, and the true way of life. ||4||
They remain absorbed in the fear of God; they never leave it.
Who can estimate their value? They remain lovingly absorbed in the Lord. ||5||
The Lord unites them with Himself, dispelling their doubts.
By Guru's Grace, the supreme status is obtained. ||6||
In the Guru's service is reflection upon the Shabad.
Subduing ego, practice pure actions. ||7||
Chanting, meditation, austere self-discipline and the reading of the Puraanas, says Nanak, are contained in surrender to the Unlimited Lord. ||8||6||
Gauree, First Mehl:
To practice forgiveness is the true fast, good conduct and contentment.
Disease does not afflict me, nor does the pain of death.
I am liberated, and absorbed into God, who has no form or feature. ||1||
What fear does the Yogi have?
The Lord is among the trees and the plants, within the household and outside as well. ||1||Pause||
The Yogis meditate on the Fearless, Immaculate Lord.
Night and day, they remain awake and aware, embracing love for the True Lord.
Those Yogis are pleasing to my mind. ||2||
The trap of death is burnt by the Fire of God.
Old age, death and pride are conquered.
They swim across, and save their ancestors as well. ||3||
Those who serve the True Guru are the Yogis.
Those who remain immersed in the Fear of God become fearless.
They become just like the One they serve. ||4||
Section 07 - Raag Gauree - Part 074 The Name makes a man pure and fearless.
It makes the masterless become the master of all. I am a sacrifice to him.
Such a person is not reincarnated again; he sings the Glories of God. ||5||
Inwardly and outwardly, he knows the One Lord;
through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, he realizes himself.
He bears the Banner and Insignia of the True Shabad in the Lord's Court. ||6||
One who dies in the Shabad abides in his own home within.
He does not come or go in reincarnation, and his hopes are subdued.
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, his heart-lotus blossoms forth. ||7||
Whoever is seen, is driven by hope and despair, by sexual desire, anger, corruption, hunger and thirst.
O Nanak, those detached recluses who meet the Lord are so very rare. ||8||7||
Gauree, First Mehl:
Meeting such a slave, peace is obtained.
Pain is forgotten, when the True Lord is found. ||1||
Beholding the blessed vision of his darshan, my understanding has become perfect.
The cleansing baths at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage are in the dust of his feet. ||1||Pause||
My eyes are contented with the constant love of the One Lord.
My tongue is purified by the most sublime essence of the Lord. ||2||
True are my actions, and deep within my being, I serve Him.
My mind is satisfied by the Inscrutable, Mysterious Lord. ||3||
Wherever I look, there I find the True Lord.
Without understanding, the world argues in falsehood. ||4||
When the Guru instructs, understanding is obtained.
How rare is that Gurmukh who understands. ||5||
Show Your Mercy, and save me, O Savior Lord!
Without understanding, people become beasts and demons. ||6||
The Guru has said that there is no other at all.
So tell me, who should I see, and who should I worship? ||7||
For the sake of the Saints, God has established the three worlds.
One who understands his own soul, contemplates the essence of reality. ||8||
One whose heart is filled with Truth and true love
- prays Nanak, I am his servant. ||9||8||
Gauree, First Mehl:
Brahma acted in pride, and did not understand.
Only when he was faced with the downfall of the Vedas did he repent.
Remembering God in meditation, the mind is conciliated. ||1||
Such is the horrible pride of the world.
The Guru eliminates the pride of those who meet Him. ||1||Pause||
Bal the King, in Maya and egotism, held his ceremonial feasts, but he was puffed up with pride.
Without the Guru's advice, he had to go to the underworld. ||2||
Hari Chand gave in charity, and earned public praise.
But without the Guru, he did not find the limits of the Mysterious Lord.
The Lord Himself misleads people, and He Himself imparts understanding. ||3||
The evil-minded Harnaakhash committed evil deeds.
God, the Lord of all, is the Destroyer of pride.
He bestowed His Mercy, and saved Prahlaad. ||4||
Raawan was deluded, foolish and unwise.
Sri Lanka was plundered, and he lost his head.
He indulged in ego, and lacked the love of the True Guru. ||5||
The Lord killed the thousand-armed Arjun, and the demons Madhu-keetab and Meh-khaasaa.
He seized Harnaakhash and tore him apart with his nails.
The demons were slain; they did not practice devotional worship. ||6||
The demons Jaraa-sandh and Kaal-jamun were destroyed.
Rakat-beej and Kaal-naym were annihilated.
Slaying the demons, the Lord saved His Saints. ||7||
He Himself, as the True Guru, contemplates the Shabad.
Section 07 - Raag Gauree - Part 075 Because of the love of duality, God killed the demons.
By their true devotion, the Gurmukhs have been saved. ||8||
Sinking down, Durodhan lost his honor.
He did not know the Creator Lord.
One who makes the Lord's humble servant suffer, shall himself suffer and rot. ||9||
Janameja did not know the Word of the Guru's Shabad.
Deluded by doubt, how could he find peace?
Making a mistake, for even an instant, you shall regret and repent later on. ||10||
Kansa the King and his warriors Kays and Chandoor had no equals.
But they did not remember the Lord, and they lost their honor.
Without the Lord of the Universe, no one can be saved. ||11||
Without the Guru, pride cannot be eradicated.
Following the Guru's Teachings, one obtains Dharmic faith, composure and the Lord's Name.
O Nanak, singing the Glories of God, His Name is received. ||12||9||
Gauree, First Mehl:
I may anoint my limbs with sandalwood oil.
I may dress up and wear silk and satin clothes.
But without the Lord's Name, where would I find peace? ||1||
So what should I wear? In what clothes should I display myself?
Without the Lord of the Universe, how can I find peace? ||1||Pause||
I may wear ear-rings, and a pearl necklace around my neck;
my bed may be adorned with red blankets, flowers and red powder;
but without the Lord of the Universe, where can I search for peace? ||2||
I may have a beautiful woman with fascinating eyes;
she may decorate herself with the sixteen adornments, and make herself appear gorgeous.
But without meditating on the Lord of the Universe, there is only continual suffering. ||3||
In his hearth and home, in his palace, upon his soft and comfortable bed, day and night, the flower-girls scatter flower petals;
but without the Lord's Name, the body is miserable. ||4||
Horses, elephants, lances, marching bands, armies, standard bearers, royal attendants and ostentatious displays
- without the Lord of the Universe, these undertakings are all useless. ||5||
He may be called a Siddha, a man of spiritual perfection, and he may summon riches and supernatural powers;
he may place a crown upon his head, and carry a royal umbrella;
but without the Lord of the Universe, where can Truth be found? ||6||
He may be called an emperor, a lord, and a king;
he may give orders - "Do this now, do this then" - but this is a false display.
Without the Word of the Guru's Shabad, his works are not accomplished. ||7||
Egotism and possessiveness are dispelled by the Word of the Guru's Shabad.
With the Guru's Teachings in my heart, I have come to know the Lord.
Prays Nanak, I seek Your Sanctuary. ||8||10||
Gauree, First Mehl:
Those who serve the One Lord, do not know any other.
They abandon the bitter worldly conflicts.
Through love and truth, they meet the Truest of the True. ||1||
Such are the humble devotees of the Lord.
They sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and their pollution is washed away. ||1||Pause||
The heart-lotus of the entire universe is upside-down.
The fire of evil-mindedness is burning up the world.
They alone are saved, who contemplate the Word of the Guru's Shabad. ||2||
The bumble bee, the moth, the elephant, the fish and the deer - all suffer for their actions, and die.
Trapped by desire, they cannot see reality. ||3||
The lover of women is obsessed with sex.
All the wicked are ruined by their anger.
Honor and good sense are lost, when one forgets the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||4||
Section 07 - Raag Gauree - Part 076 The self-willed manmukh is lured by another man's wife.
The noose is around his neck, and he is entangled in petty conflicts.
The Gurmukh is emancipated, singing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||5||
The lonely widow gives her body to a stranger;
she allows her mind to be controlled by others for lust or money
, but without her husband, she is never satisfied. ||6||
You may read, recite and study the scriptures, the Simritees, Vedas and Puraanas;
but without being imbued with the Lord's essence, the mind wanders endlessly. ||7||
As the rainbird thirsts longingly for the drop of rain, and as the fish delights in the water,
Nanak is satisfied by the sublime essence of the Lord. ||8||11||
Gauree, First Mehl:
One who dies in stubbornness shall not be approved, even though he may wear religious robes and smear his body all over with ashes.
Forgetting the Naam, the Name of the Lord, he comes to regret and repent in the end. ||1||
Believe in the Dear Lord, and you shall find peace of mind.
Forgetting the Naam, you shall have to endure the pain of death. ||1||Pause||
The smell of musk, sandalwood and camphor, and the intoxication of Maya, takes one far away from the state of supreme dignity.
Forgetting the Naam, one becomes the most false of all the false. ||2||
Lances and swords, marching bands, thrones and the salutes of others only increase his desire; he is engrossed in sexual desire.
Without seeking the Lord, neither devotional worship nor the Naam are obtained. ||3||
Union with God is not obtained by arguments and egotism.
But by offering your mind, the comfort of the Naam is obtained.
In the love of duality and ignorance, you shall suffer. ||4||
Without money, you cannot buy anything in the store.
Without a boat, you cannot cross over the ocean.
Without serving the Guru, everything is lost. ||5||
Waaho! Waaho! - Hail, hail, to the one who shows us the Way.
Waaho! Waaho! - Hail, hail, to the one who teaches the Word of the Shabad.
Waaho! Waaho! - Hail, hail, to the one who unites me in the Lord's Union. ||6||
Waaho! Waaho! - Hail, hail, to the one who is the Keeper of this soul.
Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, contemplate this Ambrosial Nectar.
The Glorious Greatness of the Naam is bestowed according to the Pleasure of Your Will. ||7||
Without the Naam, how can I live, O mother?
Night and day, I chant it; I remain in the Protection of Your Sanctuary.
O Nanak, attuned to the Naam, honor is attained. ||8||12||
Gauree, First Mehl:
Acting in egotism, the Lord is not known, even by wearing religious robes.
How rare is that Gurmukh, who surrenders his mind in devotional worship. ||1||
By actions done in egotism, selfishness and conceit, the True Lord is not obtained.
But when egotism departs, then the state of supreme dignity is obtained. ||1||Pause||
The kings act in egotism, and undertake all sorts of expeditions.
But through their egotism, they are ruined; they die, only to be reborn over and over again. ||2||
Egotism is overcome only by contemplating the Word of the Guru's Shabad.
One who restrains his fickle mind subdues the five passions. ||3||
With the True Lord deep within the self, the Celestial Mansion is intuitively found.
Understanding the Sovereign Lord, the state of supreme dignity is obtained. ||4||
The Guru dispels the doubts of those whose actions are true.
They focus their attention on the Home of the Fearless Lord. ||5||
Those who act in egotism, selfishness and conceit die; what do they gain?
Those who meet the Perfect Guru are rid of all conflicts. ||6||
Whatever exists, is in reality nothing.
Obtaining spiritual wisdom from the Guru, I sing the Glories of God. ||7||
Section 07 - Raag Gauree - Part 077 Egotism binds people in bondage, and causes them to wander around lost.
O Nanak, peace is obtained through devotional worship of the Lord. ||8||13||
Gauree, First Mehl:
First, Brahma entered the house of Death.
Brahma entered the lotus, and searched the nether regions, but he did not find the end of it.
He did not accept the Lord's Order - he was deluded by doubt. ||1||
Whoever is created, shall be destroyed by Death.
But I am protected by the Lord; I contemplate the Word of the Guru's Shabad. ||1||Pause||
All the gods and goddesses are enticed by Maya.
Death cannot be avoided, without serving the Guru.
That Lord is Imperishable, Invisible and Inscrutable. ||2||
The sultans, emperors and kings shall not remain.
Forgetting the Name, they shall endure the pain of death.
My only Support is the Naam, the Name of the Lord; as He keeps me, I survive. ||3||
The leaders and kings shall not remain.
The bankers shall die, after accumulating their wealth and money.
Grant me, O Lord, the wealth of Your Ambrosial Naam. ||4||
The people, rulers, leaders and chiefs
- none of them shall be able to remain in the world.
Death is inevitable; it strikes the heads of the false. ||5||
Only the One Lord, the Truest of the True, is permanent.
He who created and fashioned everything, shall destroy it.
One who becomes Gurmukh and meditates on the Lord is honored. ||6||
The Qazis, Shaykhs and Fakeers in religious robes call themselves great; but through their egotism, their bodies are suffering in pain.
Death does not spare them, without the Support of the True Guru. ||7||
The trap of Death is hanging over their tongues and eyes.
Death is over their ears, when they hear talk of evil.
Without the Shabad, they are plundered, day and night. ||8||
Death cannot touch those whose hearts are filled with the True Name of the Lord, and who sing the Glories of God.
O Nanak, the Gurmukh is absorbed in the Word of the Shabad. ||9||14||
Gauree, First Mehl:
They speak the Truth - not an iota of falsehood.
The Gurmukhs walk in the Way of the Lord's Command.
They remain unattached, in the Sanctuary of the True Lord. ||1||
They dwell in their true home, and Death does not touch them.
The self-willed manmukhs come and go, in the pain of emotional attachment. ||1||Pause||
So, drink deeply of this Nectar, and speak the Unspoken Speech.
Dwelling in the home of your own being within, you shall find the home of intuitive peace.
One who is imbued with the Lord's sublime essence, is said to experience this peace. ||2||
Following the Guru's Teachings, one becomes perfectly stable, and never wavers.
Following the Guru's Teachings, one intuitively chants the Name of the True Lord.
Drinking in this Ambrosial Nectar, and churning it, the essential reality is discerned. ||3||
Beholding the True Guru, I have received His Teachings.
I have offered my mind and body, after searching deep within my own being.
I have come to realize the value of understanding my own soul. ||4||
The Naam, the Name of the Immaculate Lord, is the most excellent and sublime food.
The pure swan-souls see the True Light of the Infinite Lord.
Wherever I look, I see the One and Only Lord. ||5||
One who remains pure and unblemished and practices only true deeds, obtains the supreme status, serving at the Guru's Feet.
The mind is reconciliated with the mind, and the ego's wandering ways come to an end. ||6||
In this way, who - who has not been saved?
The Lord's Praises have saved His Saints and devotees.
Section 07 - Raag Gauree - Part 078 I have found God - I am not searching for any other. ||7||
The Guru has shown me the unseen Mansion of the True Lord.
His Mansion is eternal and unchanging; it is not a mere reflection of Maya.
Through truth and contentment, doubt is dispelled. ||8||
That person, within whose mind the True Lord dwells
- in his company, one becomes Gurmukh.
O Nanak, the True Name washes off the pollution. ||9||15||
Gauree, First Mehl:
One whose consciousness is permeated with the Lord's Name
- receive the blessing of his darshan in the early light of dawn. ||1||
If you do not meditate on the Lord, it is your own misfortune.
In each and every age, the Great Giver is my Lord God. ||1||Pause||
Following the Guru's Teachings, the perfect humble beings meditate on the Lord.
Within their hearts, the unstruck melody vibrates. ||2||
Those who worship the Lord and love the Lord - showering His Mercy, God protects them. ||3||
Those whose hearts are filled with the Lord, Har, Har
- gazing upon the blessed vision of their darshan, peace is obtained. ||4||
Among all beings, the One Lord is pervading.
The eogtistical, self-willed manmukhs wander in reincarnation. ||5||
They alone understand, who have found the True Guru.
Subduing their ego, they receive the Word of the Guru's Shabad. ||6||
How can anyone know of the Union between the being below and the Supreme Being above?
The Gurmukhs obtain this Union; their minds are reconciliated. ||7||
I am a worthless sinner, without merit. What merit do I have?
When God showers His Mercy, servant Nanak is emancipated. ||8||16||
Sixteen Ashtapadees Of Gwaarayree Gauree||