Selections from the Guru Granth Sahib · 58 of 228
Raag Gauree: Shalok
Shalok:
By all sorts of religious robes, knowledge, meditation and stubborn-mindedness, no one has ever met God.
Says Nanak, those upon whom God showers His Mercy, are devotees of spiritual wisdom. ||1||
Pauree:
NGANGA: Spiritual wisdom is not obtained by mere words of mouth.
It is not obtained through the various debates of the Shaastras and scriptures.
They alone are spiritually wise, whose minds are firmly fixed on the Lord.
Hearing and telling stories, no one attains Yoga.
They alone are spiritually wise, who remain firmly committed to the Lord's Command.
Heat and cold are all the same to them.
The true people of spiritual wisdom are the Gurmukhs, who contemplate the essence of reality;
O Nanak, the Lord showers His Mercy upon them. ||5||
Shalok:
Those who have come into the world without understanding are like animals and beasts.
O Nanak, those who become Gurmukh understand; upon their foreheads is such pre-ordained destiny. ||1||
Pauree:
They have come into this world to meditate on the One Lord.
But ever since their birth, they have been enticed by the fascination of Maya.
Upside-down in the chamber of the womb, they performed intense meditation.
They remembered God in meditation with each and every breath.
But now, they are entangled in things which they must leave behind.
They forget the Great Giver from their minds.
O Nanak, those upon whom the Lord showers His Mercy, do not forget Him, here or hereafter. ||6||
Shalok:
By His Command, we come, and by His Command, we go; no one is beyond His Command.
Coming and going in reincarnation is ended, O Nanak, for those whose minds are filled with the Lord. ||1||
Pauree:
This soul has lived in many wombs.
Enticed by sweet attachment, it has been trapped in reincarnation.
This Maya has subjugated beings through the three qualities.
Maya has infused attachment to itself in each and every heart.
O friend, tell me some way, by which I may swim across this treacherous ocean of Maya.
The Lord showers His Mercy, and leads us to join the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation.
O Nanak, Maya does not even come near. ||7||
Shalok:
God Himself causes one to perform good and bad actions.
The beast indulges in egotism, selfishness and conceit; O Nanak, without the Lord, what can anyone do? ||1||
Pauree:
The One Lord Himself is the Cause of all actions.
He Himself distributes sins and noble acts.
In this age, people are attached as the Lord attaches them.
They receive that which the Lord Himself gives.
No one knows His limits.
Whatever He does, comes to pass.
From the One, the entire expanse of the Universe emanated.
O Nanak, He Himself is our Saving Grace. ||8||
Shalok:
Man remains engrossed in women and playful pleasures; the tumult of his passion is like the dye of the safflower, which fades away all too soon.
O Nanak, seek God's Sanctuary, and your selfishness and conceit shall be taken away. ||1||
Section 07 - Raag Gauree - Part 102 Pauree:
O mind: without the Lord, whatever you are involved in shall bind you in chains.
The faithless cynic does those deeds which will never allow him to be emancipated.
Acting in egotism, selfishness and conceit, the lovers of rituals carry the unbearable load.
When there is no love for the Naam, then these rituals are corrupt.
The rope of death binds those who are in love with the sweet taste of Maya.
Deluded by doubt, they do not understand that God is always with them.
When their accounts are called for, they shall not be released; their wall of mud cannot be washed clean.
One who is made to understand - O Nanak, that Gurmukh obtains immaculate understanding. ||9||
Shalok:
One whose bonds are cut away joins the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy.
Those who are imbued with the Love of the One Lord, O Nanak, take on the deep and lasting color of His Love. ||1||
Pauree:
RARRA: Dye this heart of yours in the color of the Lord's Love.
Meditate on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har - chant it with your tongue.
In the Court of the Lord, no one shall speak harshly to you.
Everyone shall welcome you, saying, "Come, and sit down."
In that Mansion of the Lord's Presence, you shall find a home.
There is no birth or death, or destruction there.
One who has such karma written on his forehead,
O Nanak, has the wealth of the Lord in his home. ||10||