Ang 1358

He blesses all with humility; He has blessed me with humility as well. He purifies all, and He has purified me as well. The Creator of all is the Creator of me as well. O Nanak, no blame or stain sticks to Him. ||38|| The moon-god is not cool and calm, nor is the white sandalwood tree. The winter season is not cool; O Nanak, only the Holy friends, the Saints, are cool and calm. ||39|| Through the Mantra of the Name of the Lord, Raam, Raam, one meditates on the All-pervading Lord. Those who have the wisdom to look alike upon pleasure and pain, live the immaculate lifestyle, free of vengeance. They are kind to all beings; they have overpowered the five thieves. They take the Kirtan of the Lord’s Praise as their food; they remain untouched by Maya, like the lotus in the water. They share the Teachings with friend and enemy alike; they love the devotional worship of God. They do not listen to slander; renouncing self-conceit, they become the dust of all. Whoever has these six qualities, O Nanak, is called a Holy friend. ||40|| The goat enjoys eating fruits and roots, but if it lives near a tiger, it is always anxious. This is the condition of the world, O Nanak; it is afflicted by pleasure and pain. ||41|| Fraud, false accusations, millions of diseases, sins and the filthy residues of evil mistakes; doubt, emotional attachment, pride, dishonor and intoxication with Maya — these lead mortals to death and rebirth, wandering lost in hell. In spite of all sorts of efforts, salvation is not found. Chanting and meditating on the Name of the Lord in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, O Nanak, mortals become immaculate and pure. They continually dwell upon the Glorious Praises of God. ||42|| In the Sanctuary of the Kind- hearted Lord, our Transcendent Lord and Master, we are carried across. God is the Perfect, All- powerful Cause of causes; He is the Giver of gifts. He gives hope to the hopeless. He is the Source of all riches. Nanak meditates in remembrance on the Treasure of Virtue; we are all beggars, begging at His Door. ||43|| The most difficult place becomes easy, and the worst pain turns into pleasure. Evil words, differences and doubts are obliterated, and even faithless cynics and malicious gossips become good people. They become steady and stable, whether happy or sad; their fears are taken away, and they are fearless. The dreadful woods become a well-populated city; such are the merits of the righteous life of Dharma, given by God’s Grace. Chanting the Lord’s Name in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, O Nanak, the Lotus Feet of the Merciful Lord are found. ||44||

O emotional attachment, you are the invincible warrior of the battlefield of life; you totally crush and destroy even the most powerful. You entice and fascinate even the heavenly heralds, celestial singers, gods, mortals, beasts and birds. Nanak bows in humble surrender to the Lord; he seeks the Sanctuary of the Lord of the Universe. ||45|| O sexual desire, you lead the mortals to hell; you make them wander in reincarnation through countless species. You cheat the consciousness, and pervade the three worlds. You destroy meditation, penance and virtue. But you give only shallow pleasure, while you make the mortals weak and unsteady; you pervade the high and the low. Your fear is dispelled in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, O Nanak, through the Protection and Support of the Lord. ||46|| O anger, you are the root of conflict; compassion never rises up in you. You take the corrupt, sinful beings in your power, and make them dance like monkeys. Associating with you, mortals are debased and punished by the Messenger of Death in so many ways. O Destroyer of the pains of the poor, O Merciful God, Nanak prays for You to protect all begins from such anger. ||47|| O greed, you cling to even the great, assaulting them with countless waves. You cause them to run around wildly in all directions, wobbling and wavering unsteadily. You have no respect for friends, ideals, relations, mother or father. You make them do what they should not do. You make them eat what they should not eat. You make them accomplish what they should not accomplish. Save me, save me — I have come to Your Sanctuary, O my Lord and Master; Nanak prays to the Lord. ||48|| O egotism, you are the root of birth and death and the cycle of reincarnation; you are the very soul of sin. You forsake friends, and hold tight to enemies. You spread out countless illusions of Maya. You cause the living beings to come and go until they are exhausted. You lead them to experience pain and pleasure. You lead them to wander lost in the terrible wilderness of doubt; you lead them to contract the most horrible, incurable diseases. The only Physician is the Supreme Lord, the Transcendent Lord God. Nanak worships and adores the Lord, Har, Har, Haray. ||49||

O Lord of the Universe, Master of the Breath of life, Treasure of Mercy, Guru of the World. O Destroyer of the fever of the world, Embodiment of Compassion, please take away all my pain. O Merciful Lord, Potent to give Sanctuary, Master of the meek and humble, please be kind to me. Whether his body is healthy or sick, let Nanak meditate in remembrance on You, Lord. ||50|| I have come to the Sanctuary of the Lord’s Lotus Feet, where I sing the Kirtan of His Praises. In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, Nanak is carried across the utterly terrifying, difficult world-ocean. ||51|| The Supreme Lord God has procted my head and forehead; the Transcendent Lord has protected my hands and body. God, my Lord and Master, has saved my soul; the Lord of the Universe has saved my wealth and feet. The Merciful Guru has protected everything, and destroyed my fear and suffering. God is the Lover of His devotees, the Master of the masterless. Nanak has entered the Sanctuary of the Imperishable Primal Lord God. ||52|| His Power supports the sky, and locks fire within wood. His Power supports the moon, the sun and the stars, and infuses light and breath into the body. His Power provides nourishment in the womb of the mother, and does not let disease strike. His Power holds back the ocean, O Nanak, and does not allow the waves of water to destroy the land. ||53|| The Lord of the World is Supremely Beautiful; His Meditation is the Life of all. In the Society of the Saints, O Nanak, He is found on the path of devotional worship of the Lord. ||54|| The mosquito pierces the stone, the ant crosses the swamp, the cripple crosses the ocean, and the blind sees in the darkness, meditating on the Lord of the Universe in the Saadh Sangat. Nanak seeks the Sanctuary of the Lord, Har, Har, Haray. ||55|| Like a Brahmin without a sacred mark on his forehead, or a king without the power of command, or a warrior without weapons, so is the devotee of God without Dharmic Faith. ||56|| God has no conch-shell, no religious mark, no paraphernalia; he does not have blue skin. His Form is Wondrous and Amazing. He is beyond incarnation. The Vedas say that He is not this, and not that. The Lord of the Universe is Lofty and High, Great and Infinite. The Imperishable Lord abides in the hearts of the Holy. He is understood, O Nanak, by those who are very fortunate. ||57||