Ang 1246

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||