You wash your stone gods and worship them. You offer saffron, sandalwood and flowers. Falling at their feet, you try so hard to appease them. Begging, begging from other people, you get things to wear and eat. For your blind deeds, you will be blindly punished. Your idol does not feed the hungry, or save the dying. The blind assembly argues in blindness. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: All intuitive understanding, all Yoga, all the Vedas and Puraanas. All actions, all penances, all songs and spiritual wisdom. All intellect, all enlightenment, all sacred shrines of pilgrimage. All kingdoms, all royal commands, all joys and all delicacies. All mankind, all divinites, all Yoga and meditation. All worlds, all celestial realms; all the beings of the universe. According to His Hukam, He commands them. His Pen writes out the account of their actions. O Nanak, True is the Lord, and True is His Name. True is His Congregation and His Court. || 2 || PAUREE: With faith in the Name, peace wells up; the Name brings emancipation. With faith in the Name, honor is obtained. The Lord is enshrined in the heart. With faith in the Name, one crosses over the terrifying world-ocean, and no obstructions are ever again encountered. With faith in the Name, the Path is revealed; through the Name, one is totally enlightened. O Nanak, meeting with the True Guru, one comes to have faith in the Name; he alone has faith, who is blessed with it. || 9 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: The mortal walks on his head through the worlds and realms; he meditates, balaced on one foot. Controlling the wind of the breath, he meditates within his mind, tucking his chin down into his chest. What does he lean on? Where does he get his power? What can be said, O Nanak? Who is blessed by the Creator? God keeps all under His Command, but the fool shows off himself. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: He is, He is - I say it millions upon millions, millions upon millions of times. With my mouth I say it, forever and ever; there is no end to this speech. I do not get tired, and I will not be stopped; this is how great my determination is. O Nanak, this is tiny and insignificant. To say that it is more, is wrong. || 2 || PAUREE: With faith in the Name, all one's ancestors and family are saved. With faith in the Name, one's associates are saved; enshrine it within your heart. With faith in the Name, those who hear it are saved; let your tongue delight in it. With faith in the Name, pain and hunger are dispelled; let your consciousness be attached to the Name. O Nanak, they alone Praise the Name, who meet with the Guru. || 10 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: All nights, all days, all dates, all days of the week; All seasons, all months, all the earth and everything on it. All waters, all winds, all fires and underworlds. All solar systems and galaxies, all worlds, people and forms. No one knows how great the Hukam of His Command is; no one can describe His actions. Mortals may utter, chant, recite and contemplate His Praises until they grow weary. The poor fools, O Nanak, cannot find even a tiny bit of the Lord. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: If I were to walk around with my eyes wide open, gazing at all the created forms;

I could ask the spiritual teachers and religious scholars, and those who contemplate the Vedas; I could ask the gods, mortal men, warriors and divine incarnations; I could consult all the Siddhas in Samaadhi, and go to see the Lord's Court. Hereafter, Truth is the Name of all; the Fearless Lord has no fear at all. False are other intellectualisms, false and shallow; blind are the contemplations of the blind. O Nanak, by the karma of good actions, the mortal comes to meditate on the Lord; by His Grace, we are carried across. || 2 || PAUREE: With faith in the Name, evil-mindedness is eradicated, and the intellect is enlightened. With faith in the Name, egotism is eradicated, and all sickness is cured. Believing in the Name, The Name wells up, and intuitive peace and poise are obtained. Believing in the Name, tranquility and peace well up, and the Lord is enshrined in the mind. O Nanak, the Name is a jewel; the Gurmukh meditates on the Lord. || 11 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: If there were any other equal to You, O Lord, I would speak to them of You. You, I praise You; I am blind, but through the Name, I am all-seeing. Whatever is spoken, is the Word of the Shabad. Chanting it with love, we are embellished. Nanak, this is the greatest thing to say: all glorious greatness is Yours. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: When there was nothing, what happened? What happens when one is born? The Creator, the Doer, does all; He watches over all, again and again. Whether we keep silent or beg out loud, the Great Giver blesses us with His gifts. The One Lord is the Giver; we are all beggars. I have seen this throughout the Universe. Nanak knows this: the Great Giver lives forever. || 2 || PAUREE: With faith in the Name, intuitive awareness wells up; through the Name, intelligence comes. With faith in the Name, chant the Glories of God; through the Name, peace is obtained. With faith in the Name, doubt is eradicated, and the mortal never suffers again. With faith in the Name, sing His Praises, and your sinful intellect shall be washed clean. O Nanak, through the Perfect Guru, one comes to have faith in the Name; they alone receive it, unto whom He gives it. || 12 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: Some read the Shaastras, the Vedas and the Puraanas. They recite them, out of ignorance. If they really understood them, they would realize the Lord. Nanak says, there is no need to shout so loud. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: When I am Yours, then everything is mine. When I am not, You are. You Yourself are All-powerful, and You Yourself are the Intuitive Knower. The whole world is strung on the Power of Your Shakti. You Yourself send out the mortal beings, and You Yourself call them back home. Having created the creation, You behold it. O Nanak, True is the Name of the True Lord; through Truth, one is accepted by the Primal Lord God. || 2 || PAUREE: The Name of the Immaculate Lord is unknowable. How can it be known? The Name of the Immaculate Lord is with the mortal being. How can it be obtained, O Siblings of Destiny? The Name of the Immaculate Lord is all-pervading and permeating everywhere. Through the Perfect Guru, it is obtained. It is revealed within the heart. O Nanak, when the Merciful Lord grants His Grace, the mortal meets with the Guru, O Siblings of Desitny. || 13 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: In this Dark Age of Kali Yuga, people have faces like dogs; they eat rotting carcasses for food. They bark and speak, telling only lies; all thought of righteousness has left them. Those who have no honor while alive, will have an evil reputation after they die.

Whatever is predestined, happens, O Nanak; whatever the Creator does, comes to pass. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: Women have become advisors, and men have become hunters. Humility, self-control and purity have run away; people eat the uneatable, forbidden food. Modesty has left her home, and honor has gone away with her. O Nanak, there is only One True Lord; do not bother to search for any other as true. || 2 || PAUREE: You smear your outer body with ashes, but within, you are filled with darkness. You wear the patched coat and all the right clothes and robes, but you are still egotistical and proud. You do not chant the Shabad, the Word of Your Lord and Master; you are attached to the expanse of Maya. Within, you are filled with greed and doubt; you wander around like a fool. Says Nanak, you never even think of the Naam; you have lost the game of life in the gamble. || 14 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: You may be in love with tens of thousands, and live for thousands of years; but what good are these pleasures and occupations? And when you must separate from them, that separation is like poison, but they will be gone in an instant. You may eat sweets for a hundred years, but eventually, you will have to eat the bitter as well. Then, you will not remember eating the sweets; bitterness will permeate you. The sweet and the bitter are both diseases. O Nanak, eating them, you will come to ruin in the end. It is useless to worry and struggle to death. Entangled in worries and struggles, people exhaust themselves. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: They have fine clothes and furniture of various colors. Their houses are painted beautifully white. In pleasure and poise, they play their mind games. When they approach You, O Lord, they shall be spoken to. They think it is sweet, so they eat the bitter. The bitter disease grows in the body. If, later on, they receive the sweet, then their bitterness shall be gone, O mother. O Nanak, the Gurmukh is blessed to receive what he is predestined to receive. || 2 || PAUREE: Those whose hearts are filled with the filth of deception, may wash themselves on the outside. They practice falsehood and deception, and their falsehood is revealed. That which is within them, comes out; it cannot be concealed by concealment. Attached to falsehood and greed, the mortal is consigned to reincarnation over and over again. O Nanak, whatever the mortal plants, he must eat. The Creator Lord has written our destiny. || 15 || SHALOK, SECOND MEHL: The Vedas bring forth stories and legends, and thoughts of vice and virtue. What is given, they receive, and what is received, they give. They are reincarnated in heaven and hell. High and low, social class and status - the world wanders lost in superstition. The Ambrosial Word of Gurbani proclaims the essence of reality. Spiritual wisdom and meditation are contained within it. The Gurmukhs chant it, and the Gurmukhs realize it. Intuitively aware, they meditate on it. By the Hukam of His Command, He formed the Universe, and in His Hukam, He keeps it. By His Hukam, He keeps it under His Gaze. O Nanak, if the mortal shatters his ego before he departs, as it is pre-ordained, then he is approved. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: The Vedas proclaim that vice and virtue are the seeds of heaven and hell. Whatever is planted, shall grow. The soul eats the fruits of its actions, and understands. Whoever praises spiritual wisdom as great, becomes truthful in the True Name. When Truth is planted, Truth grows.

In the Court of the Lord, you shall find your place of honor. The Vedas are only merchants; spiritual wisdom is the capital; by His Grace, it is received. O Nanak, without capital, no one has ever departed with profit. || 2 || PAUREE: You can water a bitter neem tree with ambrosial nectar. You can feed a venomous snake lots of milk. The self-willed manmukh is resistant; he cannot be softened. You might as well water a stone. Irrigating a poisonous plant with ambrosial nectar, only poisonous fruit is obtained. O Lord, please unite Nanak with the Sangat, the Holy Congregation, so that he may be rid of all poison. || 16 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: Death does not ask the time; it does not ask the date or the day of the week. Some have packed up, and some who have packed up have gone. Some are severely punished, and some are taken care of. They must leave their armies and drums, and their beautiful mansions. O Nanak, the pile of dust is once again reduced to dust. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: O Nanak, the pile shall fall apart; the fortress of the body is made of dust. The thief has settled within you; O soul, your life is false. || 2 || PAUREE: Those who are filled with vicious slander, shall have their noses cut, and be shamed. They are totally ugly, and always in pain. Their faces are blackened by Maya. They rise early in the morning, to cheat and steal from others; they hide from the Lord's Name. O Dear Lord, let me not even associate with them; save me from them, O my Sovereign Lord King. O Nanak, the self-willed manmukhs act according to their past deeds, producing nothing but pain. || 17 || SHALOK, FOURTH MEHL: Everyone belongs to our Lord and Master. Everyone came from Him. Only by realizing the Hukam of His Command, is Truth obtained. The Gurmukh realizes his own self; no one appears evil to him. O Nanak, the Gurmukh meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. Fruitful is his coming into the world. || 1 || FOURTH MEHL: He Himself is the Giver of all; He unites all with Himself. O Nanak, they are united with the Word of the Shabad; serving the Lord, the Great Giver, they shall never be separated from Him again. || 2 || PAUREE: Peace and tranquility fill the heart of the Gurmukh; the Name wells up within them. Chanting and meditation, penance and self-discipline, and bathing at sacred shrines of pilgrimage - the merits of these come by pleasing my God. So serve the Lord with a pure heart; singing His Glorious Praises, you shall be embellished and exalted. My Dear Lord is pleased by this; he carries the Gurmukh across. O Nanak, the Gurmukh is merged with the Lord; he is embellished in His Court. || 18 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: Thus speaks the wealthy man: I should go and get more wealth. Nanak becomes poor on that day when he forgets the Lord's Name. || 1 || FIRST MEHL: The sun rises and sets, and the lives of all run out. The mind and body experience pleasures; one loses, and another wins. Everyone is puffed up with pride; even after they are spoken to, they do not stop. O Nanak, the Lord Himself sees all; when He takes the air out of the balloon, the body falls. || 2 || PAUREE: The treasure of the Name is in the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation. There, the Lord is found.

By Guru's Grace, the heart is illumined, and darkness is dispelled. Iron is transformed into gold, when it touches the Philosopher's Stone. O Nanak, meeting with the True Guru, the Name is obtained. Meeting Him, the mortal meditates on the Name. Those who have virtue as their treasure, obtain the Blessed Vision of His Darshan. || 19 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: Cursed are the lives of those who read and write the Lord's Name to sell it. Their crop is devastated - what harvest will they have? Lacking truth and humility, they shall not be appreciated in the world hereafter. Wisdom which leads to arguments is not called wisdom. Wisdom leads us to serve our Lord and Master; through wisdom, honor is obtained. Wisdom does not come by reading textbooks; wisdom inspires us to give in charity. Says Nanak, this is the Path; other things lead to Satan. || 1 || SECOND MEHL: Mortals are known by their actions; this is the way it has to be. They should show goodness, and not be deformed by their actions; this is how they are called beautiful. Whatever they desire, they shall receive; O Nanak, they become the very image of God. || 2 || PAUREE: The True Guru is the tree of ambrosia. it bears the fruit of sweet nectar. He alone receives it, who is so pre-destined, through the Word of the Guru's Shabad. One who walks in harmony with the Will of the True Guru, is blended with the Lord. The Messenger of Death cannot even see him; his heart is illumined with God's Light. O Nanak, God forgives him, and blends him with Himself; he does not rot away in the womb of reincarnation ever again. || 20 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: Those who have truth as their fast, contentment as their sacred shrine of pilgrimage, spiritual wisdom and meditation as their cleansing bath, kindness as their deity, and forgiveness as their chanting beads - they are the most excellent people. Those who take the Way as their loincloth, and intuitive awareness their ritualistically purified enclosure, with good deeds their ceremonial forehead mark, and love their food - O Nanak, they are very rare. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: On the ninth day of the month, make a vow to speak the Truth, and your sexual desire, anger and desire shall be eaten up. On the tenth day, regulate your ten doors; on the eleventh day, know that the Lord is One. On the twelfth day, the five thieves are subdued, and then, O Nanak, the mind is pleased and appeased. Observe such a fast as this, O Pandit, O religious scholar; of what use are all the other teachings? || 2 || PAUREE: Kings, rulers and monarchs enjoy pleasures and gather the poison of Maya. In love with it, they collect more and more, stealing the wealth of others. They do not trust their own children or spouses; they are totally attached to the love of Maya. But even as they look on, Maya cheats them, and they come to regret and repent. Bound and gagged at Death's door, they are beaten and punished; O Nanak, it pleases the Will of the Lord. || 21 || SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: The one who lacks spiritual wisdom sings religious songs. The hungry Mullah turns his home into a mosque. The lazy unemployed has his ears pierced to look like a Yogi. Someone else becomes a pan-handler, and loses his social status. One who calls himself a guru or a spiritual teacher, while he goes around begging - don't ever touch his feet. One who works for what he eats, and gives some of what he has - O Nanak, he knows the Path. || 1 ||

FIRST MEHL: Those mortals whose minds are like deep dark pits do not understand the purpose of life, even when it is explained to them. Their minds are blind, and their heart-lotuses are upside-down; they look totally ugly. Some know how to speak, and understand what they are told. They are wise and beautiful. Some do not understand about the Sound-current of the Naad or the Vedas, music, virtue or vice. Some are not blessed with understanding, intelligence, or sublime intellect; they do not grasp the mystery of God's Word. O Nanak, they are donkeys; they are very proud of themselves, but they have no virtues at all. || 2 || PAUREE: To the Gurmukh, everything is sacred: wealth, property, Maya. Those who spend the wealth of the Lord find peace through giving. Those who meditate on the Lord's Name shall never be deprived. The Gurmukhs come to see the Lord, and leave behind the things of Maya. O Nanak, the devotees do not think of anything else; they are absorbed in the Name of the Lord. || 22 || SHALOK, FOURTH MEHL: Those who serve the True Guru are very fortunate. They are lovingly attuned to the True Shabad, the Word of the One God. In their own household and family, they are in natural Samaadhi. O Nanak, those who are attuned to the Naam are truly detached from the world. || 1 || FOURTH MEHL: Calculated service is not service at all, and what is done is not approved. The flavor of the Shabad, the Word of God, is not tasted if the mortal is not in love with the True Lord God. The stubborn-minded person does not even like the True Guru; he comes and goes in reincarnation. He takes one step forward, and ten steps back. The mortal works to serve the True Guru, if he walks in harmony with the True Guru's Will. He loses his self-conceit, and meets the True Guru; he remains intuitively absorbed in the Lord. O Nanak, they never forget the Naam, the Name of the Lord; they are united in Union with the True Lord. || 2 || PAUREE: They call themselves emperors and rulers, but none of them will be allowed to stay. Their sturdy forts and mansions - none of them will go along with them. Their gold and horses, fast as the wind, are cursed, and cursed are their clever tricks. Eating the thirty-six delicacies, they become bloated with pollution. O Nanak, the self-willed manmukh does not know the One who gives, and so he suffers in pain. || 23 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: The Pandits, the religious scholars and the silent sages read and recite until they get tired. They wander through foreign lands in their religious robes, until they are exhausted. In love with duality, they never receive the Name. Held in the grasp of pain, they suffer terribly. The blind fools serve the three gunas, the three dispositions; they deal only with Maya. With deception in their hearts, the fools read sacred texts to fill their bellies. One who serves the True Guru finds peace; he eradicates egotism from within. O Nanak, there is One Name to chant and dwell on; how rare are those who reflect on this and understand. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: Naked we come, and naked we go. This is by the Lord's Command; what else can we do? The object belongs to Him; He shall take it away. One who becomes Gurmukh accepts God's Will; he intuitively drinks in the Lord's sublime essence. O Nanak, praise the Giver of peace forever; with your tongue, savor the Lord.

|| 2 || PAUREE: The fortress of the body has been decorated and adorned in so many ways. The wealthy wear beautiful silk robes of various colors. They hold elegant and beautiful courts, on red and white carpets. But they eat in pain, and in pain they seek pleasure; they are very proud of their pride. O Nanak, the mortal does not even think of the Name, which shall deliver him in the end. || 24 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: She sleeps in intuitive peace and poise, absorbed in the Word of the Shabad. God hugs her close in His Embrace, and merges her into Himself. Duality is eradicated with intuitive ease. The Naam comes to abide in her mind. He hugs close in His Embrace those who shatter and reform their beings. O Nanak, those who are predestined to meet Him, come and meet Him now. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: Those who forget the Naam, the Name of the Lord - so what if they chant other chants? They are maggots in manure, plundered by the thief of worldly entanglements. O Nanak, never forget the Naam; greed for anything else is false. || 2 || PAUREE: Those who praise the Naam, and believe in the Naam, are eternally stable in this world. Within their hearts, they dwell on the Lord, and nothing else at all. With each and every hair, they chant the Lord's Name, each and every instant, the Lord. The birth of the Gurmukh is fruitful and certified; pure and unstained, his filth is washed away. O Nanak, meditating on the Lord of eternal life, the status of immortality is obtained. || 25 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: Those who forget the Naam and do other things, O Nanak, will be bound and gagged and beaten in the City of Death, like the thief caught red-handed. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: The earth is beauteous, and the sky is lovely, chanting the Name of the Lord. O Nanak, those who lack the Naam - their carcasses are eaten by the crows. || 2 || PAUREE: Those who lovingly praise the Naam, and dwell in the mansion of the self deep within, do not enter into reincarnation ever again; they shall never be destroyed. They remain immersed and absorbed in the love of the Lord, with every breath and morsel of food. The color of the Lord's Love never fades away; the Gurmukhs are enlightened. Granting His Grace, He unites them with Himself; O Nanak, the Lord keeps them by His side. || 26 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: As long as his mind is disturbed by waves, he is caught in ego and egotistical pride. He does not find the taste of the Shabad, and he does not embrace love for the Name. His service is not accepted; worrying and worrying, he wastes away in misery. O Nanak, he alone is called a selfless servant, who cuts off his head, and offers it to the Lord. He accepts the Will of the True Guru, and enshrines the Shabad within his heart. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: That is chanting and meditation, work and selfless service, which is pleasing to our Lord and Master. The Lord Himself forgives, and takes away self-conceit, and unites the mortals with Himself. United with the Lord, the mortal is never separated again; his light merges into the Light. O Nanak, by Guru's Grace, the mortal understands, when the Lord allows him to understand. || 2 || PAUREE: All are held accountable, even the egotistical self-willed manmukhs. They never even think of the Name of the Lord; the Messenger of Death shall hit them on their heads.

Their sin and corruption are like rusty slag; they carry such a heavy load. The path is treacherous and terrifying; how can they cross over to the other side? O Nanak, those whom the Guru protects are saved. They are saved in the Name of the Lord. || 27 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: Without serving the True Guru, no one finds peace; mortals die and are reborn, over and over again. They have been given the drug of emotional attachment; in love with duality, they are totally corrupt. Some are saved, by Guru's Grace. Everyone humbly bows before such humble beings. O Nanak, meditate on the Naam, deep within yourself, day and night. You shall find the Door of Salvation. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: Emotionally attached to Maya, the mortal forgets truth, death and the Name of the Lord. Engaged in worldly affairs, his life wastes away; deep within himself, he suffers in pain. O Nanak, those who have the karma of such pre-ordained destiny, serve the True Guru and find peace. || 2 || PAUREE: Read the account of the Name of the Lord, and you shall never again be called to account. No one will question you, and you will always be safe in the Court of the Lord. The Messenger of Death will meet you, and be your constant servant. Through the Perfect Guru, you shall find the Mansion of the Lord's Presence. You shall be famous throughout the world. O Nanak, the unstruck celestial melody vibrates at your door; come and merge with the Lord. || 28 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: Whoever follows the Guru's Teachings, attains the most sublime peace of all peace. Acting in accordance with the Guru, his fear is cut away; O Nanak, he is carried across. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: The True Lord does not grow old; His Naam is never dirtied. Whoever walks in harmony with the Guru's Will, shall not be reborn again. O Nanak, those who forget the Naam, come and go in reincarnation. || 2 || PAUREE: I am a beggar; I ask this blessing of You: O Lord, please embellish me with Your Love. I am so thirsty for the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan; His Darshan brings me satisfaction. I cannot live for a moment, for even an instant, without seeing Him, O my mother. The Guru has shown me that the Lord is always with me; He is permeating and pervading all places. He Himself wakes the sleepers, O Nanak, and lovingly attunes them to Himself. || 29 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: The self-willed manmukhs do not even know how to speak. They are filled with sexual desire, anger and egotism. They do not know the difference between good and bad; they constantly think of corruption. In the Lord's Court, they are called to account, and they are judged to be false. He Himself creates the Universe. He Himself contemplates it. O Nanak, whom should we tell? The True Lord is permeating and pervading all. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: The Gurmukhs worship and adore the Lord; they receive the good karma of their actions. O Nanak, I am a sacrifice to those whose minds are filled with the Lord. || 2 || PAUREE: All people cherish hope, that they will live long lives. They wish to live forever; they adorn and embellish their forts and mansions. By various frauds and deceptions, they steal the wealth of others. But the Messenger of Death keeps his gaze on their breath, and the life of those goblins decreases day by day.

Nanak has come to the Sanctuary of the Guru, and is saved. The Guru, the Lord, is his Protector. || 30 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: Reading and writing, the Pandits engage in debates and disputes; they are attached to the flavors of Maya. In the love of duality, they forget the Naam. Those foolish mortals shall receive their punishment. They do not serve the One who created them, who gives sustenance to all. The noose of Death around their necks is not cut off; they come and go in reincarnation, over and over again. The True Guru comes and meets those who have such pre-ordained destiny. Night and day, they meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord; O Nanak, they merge into the True Lord. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: Those Gurmukhs who fall at His Feet deal with the True Lord and serve the True Lord. O Nanak, those who walk in harmony with the Guru's Will are intuitively absorbed in the True Lord. || 2 || PAUREE: In hope, there is very great pain; the self-willed manmukh focuses his consciousness on it. The Gurmukhs become desireless, and attain supreme peace. In the midst of their household, they remain detached; they are lovingly attuned to the Detached Lord. Sorrow and separation do not cling to them at all. They are pleased with the Lord's Will. O Nanak, they remain forever immersed in the Primal Lord, who blends them with Himself. || 31 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: Why keep what is held in trust for another? Giving it back, peace is found. The Word of the Guru's Shabad rests in the Guru; it does not appear through anyone else. The blind man finds a jewel, and goes from house to house selling it. But they cannot appraise it, and they do not offer him even half a shell for it. If he cannot appraise it himself, then he should have it appraised by an appraiser. If he focuses his consciousness, then he obtains the true object, and he is blessed with the nine treasures. The wealth is within the house, while the world is dying of hunger. Without the True Guru, no one has a clue. When the cooling and soothing Shabad comes to dwell in the mind and body, there is no sorrow or separation there. The object belongs to someone else, but the fool is proud of it, and shows his shallow nature. O Nanak, without understanding, no one obtains it; they come and go in reincarnation, over and over again. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: My mind is in ecstasy; I have met my Beloved Lord. My beloved friends, the Saints, are delighted. Those who are united with the Primal Lord shall never be separated again. The Creator has united them with Himself. The Shabad permeates my inner being, and I have found the Guru; all my sorrows are dispelled. I praise forever the Lord, the Giver of peace; I keep Him enshrined deep within my heart. How can the self-willed manmukh gossip about those who are embellished and exalted in the True Word of the Shabad? My Beloved Himself preserves the honor of those who have come to the Guru's Door seeking Sanctuary. O Nanak, the Gurmukhs are filled with joy; their faces are radiant in the Court of the Lord. || 2 || PAUREE: The husband and wife are very much in love; joining together, their love increases. Gazing on his children and his wife, the man is pleased and attached to Maya. Stealing the wealth of his own country and other lands, he brings it home and feeds them.

In the end, hatred and conflict well up, and no one can save him. O Nanak, without the Name, those loving attachments are cursed; engrossed in them, he suffers in pain. || 32 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: The Guru's Word is the Ambrosial Nectar of the Naam. Eating it, all hunger departs. There is no thirst or desire at all, when the Naam comes to dwell in the mind. Eating anything other than the Name, disease runs to afflict the body. O Nanak, whoever takes the Praise of the Shabad as his spices and flavors - the Lord unites him in His Union. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: The life within all living beings is the Word of the Shabad. Through it, we meet our Husband Lord. Without the Shabad, the world is in darkness. Through the Shabad, it is enlightened. The Pandits, the religious scholars, and the silent sages read and write until they are weary. The religious fanatics are tired of washing their bodies. Without the Shabad, no one attains the Lord; the miserable depart weeping and wailing. O Nanak, by His Glance of Grace, the Merciful Lord is attained. || 2 || PAUREE: The husband and wife are very much in love; sitting together, they make evil plans. All that is seen shall pass away. This is the Will of my God. How can anyone remain in this world forever? Some may try to devise a plan. Working for the Perfect Guru, the wall becomes permanent and stable. O Nanak, the Lord forgives them, and merges them into Himself; they are absorbed in the Lord's Name. || 33 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: Attached to Maya, the mortal forgets the Fear of God and Guru, and love for the Infinite Lord. The waves of greed take away his wisdom and understanding, and he does not embrace love for the True Lord. The Word of the Shabad abides in the mind of the Gurmukhs, who find the Gate of Salvation. O Nanak, the Lord Himself forgives them, and unites them in Union with Himself. || 1 || FOURTH MEHL: O Nanak, without Him, we could not live for a moment. Forgetting Him, we could not succeed for an instant. O mortal, how can you be angry with the One who cares for you? || 2 || FOURTH MEHL: The rainy season of Saawan has come. The Gurmukh meditates on the Lord's Name. All pain, hunger and misfortune end, when the rain falls in torrents. The entire earth is rejuvenated, and the grain grows in abundance. The Carefree Lord, by His Grace, summons that mortal whom the Lord Himself approves. So meditate on the Lord, O Saints; He shall save you in the end. The Kirtan of the Lord's Praises and devotion to Him is bliss; peace shall come to dwell in the mind. Those Gurmukhs who worship the Naam, the Name of the Lord - their pain and hunger departs. Servant Nanak is satisfied, singing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. Please embellish him with the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. || 3 || PAUREE: The Perfect Guru bestows His gifts, which increase day by day. The Merciful Lord Himself bestows them; they cannot be concealed by concealment. The heart-lotus blossoms forth, and the mortal is lovingly absorbed in the state of supreme bliss. If anyone tries to challenge him, the Lord throws dust on his head. O Nanak, no one can equal the glory of the Perfect True Guru.

|| 34 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: The Order of the Lord is beyond challenge. Clever tricks and arguments will not work against it. So abandon your self-conceit, and take to His Sanctuary; accept the Order of His Will. The Gurmukh eliminates self-conceit from within himself; he shall not be punished by the Messenger of Death. O Nanak, he alone is called a selfless servant, who remains lovingly attuned to the True Lord. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: All gifts, light and beauty are Yours. Excessive cleverness and egotism are mine. The mortal performs all sorts of rituals in greed and attachment; engrossed in egotsim, he shall never escape the cycle of reincarnation. O Nanak, the Creator Himself inspires all to act. Whatever pleases Him is good. || 2 || PAUREE, FIFTH MEHL: Let Truth be your food, and Truth your clothes, and take the Support of the True Name. The True Guru shall lead you to meet God, the Great Giver. When perfect destiny is activated, the mortal meditates on the Formless Lord. Joining the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, you shall cross over the world-ocean. O Nanak, chant God's Praises, and celebrate His Victory. || 35 || SHALOK, FIFTH MEHL: In Your Mercy, You care for all beings and creatures. You produce corn and water in abundance; You eliminate pain and poverty, and carry all beings across. The Great Giver listened to my prayer, and the world has been cooled and comforted. Take me into Your Embrace, and take away all my pain. Nanak meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord; the House of God is fruitful and prosperous. || 1 || FIFTH MEHL: Rain is falling from the clouds - it is so beautiful! The Creator Lord issued His Order. Grain has been produced in abundance; the world is cooled and comforted. The mind and body are rejuvenated, meditating in remembrance on the Inaccessible and Infinite Lord. O my True Creator Lord God, please shower Your Mercy on me. He does whatever He pleases; Nanak is forever a sacrifice to Him. || 2 || PAUREE: The Great Lord is Inaccessible; His glorious greatness is glorious! Gazing upon Him through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, I blossom forth in ecstasy; tranquility comes to my inner being. All by Himself, He Himself is pervading everywhere, O Siblings of Destiny. He Himself is the Lord and Master of all. He has subdued all, and all are under the Hukam of His Command. O Nanak, the Lord does whatever He pleases. Everyone walks in harmony with His Will. || 36 || 1 || SUDH ||

O mortal, why are you so proud of small things? With a few pounds of grain and a few coins in your pocket, you are totally puffed up with pride. || 1 || Pause || With great pomp and ceremony, you control a hundred villages, with an income of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The power you exert will last for only a few days, like the green leaves of the forest. || 1 || No one has brought this wealth with him, and no one will take it with him when he goes. Emperors, even greater than Raawan, passed away in an instant.

|| 2 || The Lord's Saints are steady and stable forever; they worship and adore Him, and chant the Lord's Name. Those who are mercifully blessed by the Lord of the Universe, join the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation. || 3 || Mother, father, spouse, children and wealth will not go along with you in the end. Says Kabeer, meditate and vibrate on the Lord, O madman. Your life is uselessly wasting away. || 4 || 1 || I do not know the limits of Your Royal Ashram. I am the humble slave of Your Saints. || 1 || Pause || The one who goes laughing returns crying, and the one who goes crying returns laughing. What is inhabited becomes deserted, and what is deserted becomes inhabited. || 1 || The water turns into a desert, the desert turns into a well, and the well turns into a mountain. From the earth, the mortal is exalted to the Akaashic ethers; and from the ethers on high, he is thrown down again. || 2 || The beggar is transformed into a king, and the king into a beggar. The idiotic fool is transformed into a Pandit, a religious scholar, and the Pandit into a fool. || 3 || The woman is transformed into a man, and the men into women. Says Kabeer, God is the Beloved of the Holy Saints. I am a sacrifice to His image. || 4 || 2 ||

O mortal, why are you going into the forest of corruption? You have been misled into eating the toxic drug. || 1 || Pause || You are like a fish living in the water; you do not see the net of death. Trying to taste the flavor, you swallow the hook. You are bound by attachment to wealth and woman. || 1 || The bee stores up loads of honey; then someone comes and takes the honey, and throws dust in its mouth. The cow stores up loads of milk; then the milkman comes and ties it by its neck and milks it. || 2 || For the sake of Maya, the mortal works very hard. He takes the wealth of Maya, and buries it in the ground. He acquires so much, but the fool does not appreciate it. His wealth remains buried in the ground, while his body turns to dust. || 3 || He burns in tremendous sexual desire, unresolved anger and desire. He never joins the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy. Says Naam Dayv, seek God's Shelter; be fearless, and vibrate on the Lord God. || 4 || 1 || Why not make a bet with me, O Lord of Wealth? From the master comes the servant, and from the servant, comes the master. This is the game I play with You. || 1 || Pause || You Yourself are the deity, and You are the temple of worship. You are the devoted worshipper. From the water, the waves rise up, and from the waves, the water. They are only different by figures of speech. || 1 || You Yourself sing, and You Yourself dance. You Yourself blow the bugle. Says Naam Dayv, You are my Lord and Master. Your humble servant is imperfect; You are perfect. || 2 || 2 || Says God: my slave is devoted only to me; he is in my very image. The sight of him, even for an instant, cures the three fevers; his touch brings liberation from the deep dark pit of household affairs. || 1 || Pause || The devotee can release anyone from my bondage, but I cannot release anyone from his.

If, at any time, he grabs and binds me, even then, I cannot protest. || 1 || I am bound by virtue; I am the Life of all. My slaves are my very life. Says Naam Dayv, as is the quality of his soul, so is my love which illuminates him. || 2 || 3 ||

So what have you accomplished by listening to the Puraanas? Faithful devotion has not welled up within you, and you have not been inspired to give to the hungry. || 1 || Pause || You have not forgotten sexual desire, and you have not forgotten anger; greed has not left you either. Your mouth has not stopped slandering and gossiping about others. Your service is useless and fruitless. || 1 || By breaking into the houses of others and robbing them, you fill your belly, you sinner. But when you go to the world beyond, your guilt will be well known, by the acts of ignorance which you committed. || 2 || Cruelty has not left your mind; you have not cherished kindness for other living beings. Parmaanand has joined the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy. Why have you not followed the sacred teachings? || 3 || 1 || 6 || O mind, do not even associate with those who have turned their backs on the Lord.

The people of the Lord dwell with the Lord. They dedicate their minds and bodies to Him; they dedicate everything to Him. They are intoxicated with the celestial melody of intuitive ecstasy. || 1 || Pause || Gazing upon the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan, they are cleansed of corruption. They obtain absolutely everything. They have nothing to do with anything else; they gaze on the beauteous Face of God. || 1 || But one who forsakes the elegantly beautiful Lord, and harbors desire for anything else, is like a leech on the body of a leper. Says Sur Daas, God has taken my mind in His Hands. He has blessed me with the world beyond. || 2 || 1 || 8 ||

Other than the Lord, who is the Help and Support of the mind? Love and attachment to mother, father, sibling, child and spouse, is all just an illusion. || 1 || Pause || So build a raft to the world hereafter; what faith do you place in wealth? What confidence do you place in this fragile vessel; it breaks with the slightest stroke. || 1 || You shall obtain the rewards of all righteousness and goodness, if you desire to be the dust of all. Says Kabeer, listen, O Saints: this mind is like the bird, flying above the forest. || 2 || 1 || 9 ||