Ang 1399

Tell me, how can sin and suffering cling to that humble being who chants the Naam, given by the Guru, with single-minded love and firm faith? When the Lord, the Boat to carry us across, bestows His Glance of Grace, even for an instant, the mortal contemplates the Shabad within his heart; unfulfilled sexual desire and unresolved anger are eradicated. The Guru is the Giver to all beings; He speaks the spiritual wisdom of the Unfathomable Lord, and meditates on Him day and night. He never sleeps, even for an instant. Seeing Him, poverty vanishes, and one is blessed with the treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord. The spiritual wisdom of the Guru’s Word washes away the filth of evil-mindedness. Tell me, how can sin and suffering cling to that humble being who chants the Naam, given by the Guru, with single-minded love and firm faith? ||1|| Dharmic faith and the karma of good deeds are obtained from the Perfect True Guru. The Siddhas and Holy Saadhus, the silent sages and angelic beings, yearn to serve Him; through the most excellent Word of the Shabad, they are lovingly attuned to the One Lord. Who can know Your limits? You are the Embodiment of the Fearless, Formless Lord. You are the Speaker of the Unspoken Speech; You alone understand this. O foolish worldly mortal, you are deluded by doubt; give up birth and death, and you shall not be punished by the Messenger of Death. Meditate on the Guru’s Teachings. You foolish mortal being, reflect on this in your mind; chant and meditate day and night. Dharmic faith and the karma of good deeds are obtained from the Perfect True Guru. ||2|| I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice, to the True Name, O my True Guru. What Praises can I offer to You? What service can I do for You? I have only one mouth and tongue; with my palms pressed together, I chant to You with joy and delight. In thought, word and deed, I know the Lord; I do not worship any other. The Guru has enshrined the most excellent Name of the Infinite Lord within my heart. So speaks Nall the poet: touching the Philosopher’s Stone, glass is transformed into gold, and the sandalwood tree imparts its fragrance to other trees; meditating in remembrance on the Lord, I am transformed. Seeing His Door, I am rid of sexual desire and anger. I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice, to the True Name, O my True Guru. ||3|| Guru Raam Daas was blessed with the Throne of Raja Yoga. First, Guru Nanak illuminated the world, like the full moon, and filled it with bliss. To carry humanity across, He bestowed His Radiance. He blessed Guru Angad with the treasure of spiritual wisdom, and the Unspoken Speech; He overcame the five demons and the fear of the Messenger of Death. The Great and True Guru, Guru Amar Daas, has preserved honor in this Dark Age of Kali Yuga. Seeing His Lotus Feet, sin and evil are destroyed. When His mind was totally satisfied in every way, when He was totally pleased, He bestowed upon Guru Raam Daas the Throne of Raja Yoga. ||4||

RADD: He established the earth, the sky and the air, the water of the oceans, fire and food. He created the moon, the starts and the sun, night and day and mountains; he blessed the trees with flowers and fruits. He created the gods, human beings and the seven seas; He established the three worlds. Guru Amar Daas was blessed with the Light of the One Name, the True Name of the Lord. ||1||5|| Glass is transformed into gold, listening to the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. Poison is transformed into ambrosial nectar, speaking the Name of the True Guru. Iron is transformed into jewels, when the True Guru bestows His Glance of Grace. Stones are transformed into emeralds, when the mortal chants and contemplates the spiritual wisdom of the Guru. The True Guru transforms ordinary wood into sandalwood, eradicating the pains of poverty. Whoever touches the Feet of the True Guru, is transformed from a beast and a ghost into an angelic being. ||2||6|| One who has the Guru on his side — how could he be proud of his wealth? One who has the Guru on his side — what would hundreds of thousands of supporters do for him? One who has the Guru on his side, does not depend on anyone else for spiritual wisdom and meditation. One who has the Guru on his side contemplates the Shabad and the Teachings, and abides in the Home of Truth. The Lord’s humble slave and poet utters this prayer: whoever chants to the Guru night and day, whoever enshrines the Name of the Guru within his heart, is rid of both birth and death. ||3||7|| Without the Guru, there is utter darkness; without the Guru, understanding does not come. Without the Guru, there is no intuitive awareness or success; without the Guru, there is no liberation. So make Him your Guru, and contemplate the Truth; make Him your Guru, O my mind. Make Him your Guru, who is embellished and exalted in the Word of the Shabad; all your sins shall be washed away. So speaks Nall the poet: with your eyes, make Him your Guru; with the words you speak, make Him your Guru, your True Guru. Those who have not seen the Guru, who have not made Him their Guru, are useless in this world. ||4||8||

Dwell upon the Guru, the Guru, the Guru, O my mind. The All-powerful Guru is the Boat to carry us across in this Dark Age of Kali Yuga. Hearing the Word of His Shabad, we are transported into Samaadhi. He is the Spiritual Hero who destroys pain and brings peace. Whoever meditates on Him, dwells near Him. He is the Perfect Primal Being, who meditates in remembrance on the Lord within his heart; seeing His Face, sins run away. If you long for wisdom, wealth, spiritual perfection and properity, O my mind, dwell upon the Guru, the Guru, the Guru. ||5||9|| Gazing upon the Face of the Guru, I find peace. I was thirsty, yearning to drink in the Nectar; to fulfill that wish, the Guru laid out the way. My mind has become perfect; it dwells in the Lord’s Place; it had been wandering in all directions, in its desire for tastes and pleasures. Goindwal is the City of God, built on the bank of the Beas River. The pains of so many years have been taken away; gazing upon the Face of the Guru, I find peace. ||6||10|| The All-powerful Guru placed His hand upon my head. The Guru was kind, and blessed me with the Lord’s Name. Gazing upon His Feet, my sins were dispelled. Night and day, the Guru meditates on the One Lord; hearing His Name, the Messenger of Death is scared away. So speaks the Lord’s slave: Guru Raam Daas placed His Faith in Guru Amar Daas, the Guru of the World; touching the Philosopher’s Stone, He was transformed into the Philosopher’s Stone. Guru Raam Daas recognized the Lord as True; the All-powerful Guru placed His hand upon His head. ||7||11|| Now, please preserve the honor of Your humble slave. God saved the honor of the devotee Prahlaad, when Harnaakhash tore him apart with his claws. And the Dear Lord God saved the honor of Dropadi; when her clothes were stripped from her, she was blessed with even more. Sudaamaa was saved from misfortune; and Ganikaa the prostitute — when she chanted Your Name, her affairs were perfectly resolved. O Great True Guru, if it pleases You, please save the honor of Your slave in this Dark Age of kali Yuga. ||8||12||