Ang 1242

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||