Selections from the Guru Granth Sahib · 85 of 228

Raag Gauree: Shalok (XXVII)

Shalok:

Nothing shall go along with you, except your devotion. All corruption is like ashes.

Practice the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. O Nanak, this is the most excellent wealth. ||1||

ASHTAPADEE:

Joining the Company of the Saints, practice deep meditation.

Remember the One, and take the Support of the Naam, the Name of the Lord.

Forget all other efforts, O my friend

- enshrine the Lord’s Lotus Feet within your heart.

God is All-powerful; He is the Cause of causes.

Grasp firmly the object of the Lord’s Name.

Gather this wealth, and become very fortunate.

Pure are the instructions of the humble Saints.

Keep faith in the One Lord within your mind.

All disease, O Nanak, shall then be dispelled. ||1||

The wealth which you chase after in the four directions

- you shall obtain that wealth by serving the Lord.

The peace, which you always yearn for, O friend

- that peace comes by the love of the Company of the Holy.

The glory, for which you perform good deeds

- you shall obtain that glory by seeking the Lord’s Sanctuary.

All sorts of remedies have not cured the disease - the disease is cured only by giving the medicine of the Lord’s Name.

Of all treasures, the Lord’s Name is the supreme treasure.

Chant it, O Nanak, and be accepted in the Court of the Lord. ||2||

Enlighten your mind with the Name of the Lord.

Having wandered around in the ten directions, it comes to its place of rest.

No obstacle stands in the way of one whose heart is filled with the Lord.

The Dark Age of Kali Yuga is so hot; the Lord’s Name is soothing and cool.

Remember, remember it in meditation, and obtain everlasting peace.

Your fear shall be dispelled, and your hopes shall be fulfilled.

By devotional worship and loving adoration, your soul shall be enlightened.

You shall go to that home, and live forever.

Says Nanak, the noose of death is cut away. ||3||

One who contemplates the essence of reality, is said to be the true person.

Birth and death are the lot of the false and the insincere.

Coming and going in reincarnation is ended by serving God.

Give up your selfishness and conceit, and seek the Sanctuary of the Divine Guru.

Thus the jewel of this human life is saved.

Remember the Lord, Har, Har, the Support of the breath of life.

By all sorts of efforts, people are not saved

- not by studying the Simritees, the Shaastras or the Vedas.

Worship the Lord with whole-hearted devotion.

O Nanak, you shall obtain the fruits of your mind’s desire. ||4||

Your wealth shall not go with you;

why do you cling to it, you fool?

Children, friends, family and spouse

- who of these shall accompany you?

Power, pleasure, and the vast expanse of Maya

- who has ever escaped from these?

Horses, elephants, chariots and pageantry

- false shows and false displays.

The fool does not acknowledge the One who gave this;

forgetting the Naam, O Nanak, he will repent in the end. ||5||

Take the Guru’s advice, you ignorant fool;

without devotion, even the clever have drowned.

Worship the Lord with heart-felt devotion, my friend;

your consciousness shall become pure.

Enshrine the Lord’s Lotus Feet in your mind;

Section 07 - Raag Gauree - Part 139 the sins of countless lifetimes shall depart.

Chant the Naam yourself, and inspire others to chant it as well.

Hearing, speaking and living it, emancipation is obtained.

The essential reality is the True Name of the Lord.

With intuitive ease, O Nanak, sing His Glorious Praises. ||6||

Chanting His Glories, your filth shall be washed off.

The all-consuming poison of ego will be gone.

You shall become carefree, and you shall dwell in peace.

With every breath and every morsel of food, cherish the Lord’s Name.

Renounce all clever tricks, O mind.

In the Company of the Holy, you shall obtain the true wealth.

So gather the Lord’s Name as your capital, and trade in it.

In this world you shall be at peace, and in the Court of the Lord, you shall be acclaimed.

See the One permeating all;

says Nanak, your destiny is pre-ordained. ||7||

Meditate on the One, and worship the One.

Remember the One, and yearn for the One in your mind.

Sing the endless Glorious Praises of the One.

With mind and body, meditate on the One Lord God.

The One Lord Himself is the One and Only.

The Pervading Lord God is totally permeating all.

The many expanses of the creation have all come from the One.

Adoring the One, past sins are removed.

Mind and body within are imbued with the One God.

By Guru’s Grace, O Nanak, the One is known. ||8||19||