Ang 641

SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The womb of the mother is an ocean of pain, O Beloved; even there, the Lord causes His Name to be chanted. When he emerges, he finds corruption pervading everywhere, O Beloved, and he becomes increasingly attached to Maya. One whom the Lord blesses with His kind favor, O Beloved, meets the Perfect Guru. He worships the Lord in adoration with each and every breath, O Beloved; he is lovingly attached to the Lord’s Name. ||1|| You are the support of my mind and body, O Beloved; You are the support of my mind and body. There is no other Creator except for You, O Beloved; You alone are the Inner-knower, the Searcher of hearts. || Pause|| After wandering in doubt for millions of incarnations, he comes into the world, O Beloved; for uncounted lifetimes, he has suffered in pain. He has forgotten his True Lord and Master, O Beloved, and so he suffers terrible punishment. Those who meet with the Perfect True Guru, O Beloved, are attached to the True Name. We are saved by following those, O Beloved, who seek the Sanctuary of the True Lord. ||2|| He thinks that his food is so sweet, O Beloved, but it makes his body ill. It turns out to be bitter, O Beloved, and it produces only sadness. The Lord leads him astray in the enjoyment of pleasures, O Beloved, and so his sense of separation does not depart. Those who meet the Guru are saved, O Beloved; this is their pre-ordained destiny. ||3|| He is filled with longing for Maya, O Beloved, and so the Lord does not ever come into his mind. Those who forget You, O Supreme Lord Master, their bodies turn to dust. They cry out and scream horribly, O Beloved, but their torment does not end. Those who meet the Guru, and reform themselves, O Beloved, their capital remains intact. ||4||

As far as possible, do not associate with the faithless cynics, O Beloved. Meeting with them, the Lord is forgotten, O Beloved, and you rise and depart with a blackened face. The self- willed manmukh finds no rest or shelter, O Beloved; in the Court of the Lord, they are punished. Those who meet with the Guru, and reform themselves, O Beloved, their affairs are resolved. ||5|| One may have thousands of clever tricks and techniques of austere self- discipline, O Beloved, but not even one of them will go with him. Those who turn their backs on the Lord of the Universe, O Beloved, their families are stained with disgrace. He does not know that thing which is, O Beloved; falsehood will not help him. Those who meet with the True Guru, O Beloved, dwell upon the True Name. ||6|| When the Lord casts His Glance of Grace, O Beloved, one is blessed with Truth, contentment, wisdom and meditation. Night and day, he sings the Kirtan of the Lord’s Praises, O Beloved, totally filled with Ambrosial Nectar. He crosses over the sea of pain, O Beloved, and swims across the terrifying world-ocean. One who is pleasing to His Will, He unites with Himself, O Beloved; he is forever true. ||7|| The all-powerful Divine Lord is compassionate, O Beloved; He is the Support of His devotees. I seek His Sanctuary, O Beloved; He is the Inner-knower, the Searcher of hearts. He has adorned me in this world and the next, O Beloved; He has placed the Emblem of Truth upon my forehead. I shall never forget that God, O Beloved; Nanak is forever a sacrifice to Him. ||8||2||

SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL, SECOND HOUSE, ASHTAPADEES: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: They read scriptures, and contemplate the Vedas; they practice the inner cleansing techniques of Yoga, and control of the breath. But they cannot escape from the company of the five passions; they are increasingly bound to egotism. ||1|| O Beloved, this is not the way to meet the Lord; I have performed these rituals so many times. I have collapsed, exhausted, at the Door of my Lord Master; I pray that He may grant me a discerning intellect. || Pause|| One may remain silent and use his hands as begging bowls, and wander naked in the forest. He may make pilgrimages to river banks and sacred shrines all over the world, but his sense of duality will not leave him. ||2|| His mind’s desires may lead him to go and dwell at sacred places of pilgrimage, and offer his head to be sawn off; but this will not cause the filth of his mind to depart, even though he may make thousands of efforts. ||3|| He may give gifts of all sorts — gold, women, horses and elephants. He may make offerings of corn, clothes and land in abundance, but this will not lead him to the Lord’s Door. ||4|| He may remain devoted to worship and adoration, bowing his forehead to the floor, practicing the six religious rituals. He indulges in egotism and pride, and falls into entanglements, but he does not meet the Lord by these devices. ||5|| He practices the eighty-four postures of Yoga, and acquires the supernatural powers of the Siddhas, but he gets tired of practicing these. He lives a long life, but is reincarnated again and again; he has not met with the Lord. ||6|| He may enjoy princely pleasures, and regal pomp and ceremony, and issue unchallenged commands. He may lie on beautiful beds, perfumed with sandalwood oil, but this will led him only to the gates of the most horrible hell. ||7|| Singing the Kirtan of the Lord’s Praises in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is the highest of all actions. Says Nanak, he alone obtains it, who is pre-destined to receive it. ||8|| Your slave is intoxicated with this Love of Yours. The Destroyer of the pains of the poor has become merciful to me, and this mind is imbued with the Praises of the Lord, Har, Har. || Second Pause||1||3||