Ang 464

SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: Wonderful is the sound current of the Naad, wonderful is the knowledge of the Vedas. Wonderful are the beings, wonderful are the species. Wonderful are the forms, wonderful are the colors. Wonderful are the beings who wander around naked. Wonderful is the wind, wonderful is the water. Wonderful is fire, which works wonders. Wonderful is the earth, wonderful the sources of creation. Wonderful are the tastes to which mortals are attached. Wonderful is union, and wonderful is separation. Wonderful is hunger, wonderful is satisfaction. Wonderful is His Praise, wonderful is His adoration. Wonderful is the wilderness, wonderful is the path. Wonderful is closeness, wonderful is distance. How wonderful to behold the Lord, ever-present here. Beholding His wonders, I am wonder-struck. O Nanak, those who understand this are blessed with perfect destiny. ||1|| FIRST MEHL: By His Power we see, by His Power we hear; by His Power we have fear, and the essence of happiness. By His Power the nether worlds exist, and the Akaashic ethers; by His Power the entire creation exists. By His Power the Vedas and the Puraanas exist, and the Holy Scriptures of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions. By His Power all deliberations exist. By His Power we eat, drink and dress; by His Power all love exists. By His Power come the species of all kinds and colors; by His Power the living beings of the world exist. By His Power virtues exist, and by His Power vices exist. By His Power come honor and dishonor. By His Power wind, water and fire exist; by His Power earth and dust exist. Everything is in Your Power, Lord; You are the all-powerful Creator. Your Name is the Holiest of the Holy. O Nanak, through the Command of His Will, He beholds and pervades the creation; He is absolutely unrivalled. ||2|| PAUREE: Enjoying his pleasures, one is reduced to a pile of ashes, and the soul passes away. He may be great, but when he dies, the chain is thrown around his neck, and he is led away. There, his good and bad deeds are added up; sitting there, his account is read. He is whipped, but finds no place of rest, and no one hears his cries of pain. The blind man has wasted his life away. ||3||

SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: In the Fear of God, the wind and breezes ever blow. In the Fear of God, thousands of rivers flow. In the Fear of God, fire is forced to labor. In the Fear of God, the earth is crushed under its burden. In the Fear of God, the clouds move across the sky. In the Fear of God, the Righteous Judge of Dharma stands at His Door. In the Fear of God, the sun shines, and in the Fear of God, the moon reflects. They travel millions of miles, endlessly. In the Fear of God, the Siddhas exist, as do the Buddhas, the demi-gods and Yogis. In the Fear of God, the Akaashic ethers are stretched across the sky. In the Fear of God, the warriors and the most powerful heroes exist. In the Fear of God, multitudes come and go. God has inscribed the Inscription of His Fear upon the heads of all. O Nanak, the Fearless Lord, the Formless Lord, the True Lord, is One. ||1|| FIRST MEHL: O Nanak, the Lord is fearless and formless; myriads of others, like Rama, are mere dust before Him. There are so many stories of Krishna, so many who reflect over the Vedas. So many beggars dance, spinning around to the beat. The magicians perform their magic in the market place, creating a false illusion.They sing as kings and queens, and speak of this and that. They wear earrings, and necklaces worth thousands of dollars. Those bodies on which they are worn, O Nanak, those bodies turn to ashes. Wisdom cannot be found through mere words. To explain it is as hard as iron. When the Lord bestows His Grace, then alone it is received; other tricks and orders are useless. ||2|| PAUREE: If the Merciful Lord shows His Mercy, then the True Guru is found. This soul wandered through countless incarnations, until the True Guru instructed it in the Word of the Shabad. There is no giver as great as the True Guru; hear this, all you people. Meeting the True Guru, the True Lord is found; He removes self-conceit from within, and instructs us in the Truth of Truths. ||4||