Ang 954

SHALOK, FIRST MEHL: Branded with a thousand marks of disgrace, Indra cried in shame. Paras Raam returned home crying. Ajai cried and weeped, when he was made to eat the manure he had given, pretending it was charity. Such is the punishment received in the Court of the Lord. Rama weeped when he was sent into exile, and separated from Sita and Lakhshman. The ten- headed Raawan, who stole away Sita with the beat of his tambourine, wept when he lost Sri Lanka. The Paandavas once lived in the Presence of the Lord; they were made slaves, and wept. Janmayjaa wept, that he had lost his way. One mistake, and he became a sinner. The Shaykhs, Pirs and spiritual teachers weep; at the very last instant, they suffer in agony. The kings weep — their ears are cut; they go begging from house to house. The miser weeps; he has to leave behind the wealth he has gathered. The Pandit, the religious scholar, weeps when his learning is gone. The young woman weeps because she has no husband. O Nanak, the whole world is suffering. He alone is victorious, who believes in the Lord’s Name. No other action is of any account. ||1|| SECOND MEHL: Meditation, austerity and everything come through belief in the Lord’s Name. All other actions are useless. O Nanak, believe in the One who is worth believing in. By Guru’s Grace, he is realized. ||2|| PAUREE: The union of the body and the soul-swan was pre-ordained by the Creator Lord. He is hidden, and yet pervading all. He is revealed to the Gurmukh. Singing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and chanting His Praises, one merges in His Glories. True is the True Word of the Guru’s Bani. One unites in Union with the True Lord. He Himself is everything; He Himself grants glorious greatness. ||14||

SHALOK, SECOND MEHL: O Nanak, the blind man may go to appraise the jewels, but he will not know their value; he will return home after exposing his ignorance. ||1|| SECOND MEHL: The Jeweller has come, and opened up the bag of jewels. The merchandise and the merchant are merged together. They alone purchase the gem, O Nanak, who have virtue in their purse. Those who do not appreciate the value of the jewels, wander like blind men in the world. ||2|| PAUREE: The fortress of the body has nine gates; the tenth gate is kept hidden. The rigid door is not open; only through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad can it be opened. The unstruck sound current resounds and vibrates there. The Word of the Guru’s Shabad is heard. Deep within the nucleus of the heart, the Divine Light shines forth. Through devotional worship, one meets the Lord. The One Lord is pervading and permeating all. He Himself created the creation. ||15||

SHALOK, SECOND MEHL: He is truly blind, who follows the way shown by the blind man. O Nanak, why should the one who can see, get lost? Do not call them blind, who have no eyes in their face. They alone are blind, O Nanak, who wander away from their Lord and Master. ||1|| SECOND MEHL: One whom the Lord has made blind — the Lord can make him see again. He acts only as he knows, although he may be spoken to a hundred times. Where the real thing is not seen, self-conceit prevails there — know this well. O Nanak, how can the purshaser purchase the real thing, if he cannot recognize it? ||2|| SECOND MEHL: How can someone be called blind, if he was made blind by the Lord’s Command? O Nanak, one who does not understand the Hukam of the Lord’s Command should be called blind. ||3|| PAUREE: Deep within the body is the fortress of the Lord, and all lands and countries. He Himself sits in primal, profound Samaadhi; He Himself is all-pervading. He Himself created the Universe, and He Himself remains hidden within it. Serving the Guru, the Lord is known, and the Truth is revealed. He is True, the Truest of the True; the Guru has imparted this understanding. ||16||