Ang-1201 — Chapter 87
Salok, First Mehl:
Through the night the time ticks away; through the day the time ticks away.
The body wears away and turns to straw.
All are involved and entangled in worldly entanglements.
The mortal has mistakenly renounced the way of service.
The blind fool is caught in conflict, bothered and bewildered.
Those who weep after someone has died - can they bring him back to life?
Without realization, nothing can be understood.
The weepers who weep for the dead shall themselves die as well.
O Nanak, this is the Will of our Lord and Master.
Those who do not remember the Lord, are dead. ||1||
First Mehl:
Love dies, and affection dies; hatred and strife die.
The color fades, and beauty vanishes; the body suffers and collapses.
Where did he come from? Where is he going? Did he exist or not?
The self-willed manmukh made empty boasts, indulging in parties and pleasures.
O Nanak, without the True Name, his honor is torn away, from head to foot. ||2||
Pauree:
The Ambrosial Naam, the Name of the Lord, is forever the Giver of peace. It shall be your Help and Support in the end.
Without the Guru, the world is insane. It does not appreciate the worth of the Name.
Those who serve the True Guru are accepted and approved. Their light merges into the Light.
That servant who enshrines the Lord's Will within his mind, becomes just like his Lord and Master.
Tell me, who has ever found peace by following his own will? The blind act in blindness.
No one is ever satisfied and fulfilled by evil and corruption. The hunger of the fool is not satisfied.
Attached to duality, all are ruined; without the True Guru, there is no understanding.
Those who serve the True Guru find peace; they are blessed with Grace by the Will of the Lord. ||20||
Salok, First Mehl:
Modesty and righteousness both, O Nanak, are qualities of those who are blessed with true wealth.
Do not refer to that wealth as your friend, which leads you to get your head beaten.
Those who possess only this worldly wealth are known as paupers.
But those, within whose hearts You dwell, O Lord - those people are oceans of virtue. ||1||
First Mehl:
Worldly possessions are obtained by pain and suffering; when they are gone, they leave pain and suffering.
O Nanak, without the True Name, hunger is never satisfied.
Beauty does not satisfy hunger; when the man sees beauty, he hungers even more.
As many as are the pleasures of the body, so many are the pains which afflict it. ||2||
First Mehl:
Acting blindly, the mind becomes blind. The blind mind makes the body blind.
Why make a dam with mud and plaster? Even a dam made of stones gives way.
The dam has burst. There is no boat. There is no raft. The water's depth is unfathomable.
O Nanak, without the True Name, many multitudes have drowned. ||3||
First Mehl:
Thousands of pounds of gold, and thousands of pounds of silver; the king over the heads of thousands of kings.
Thousands of armies, thousands of marching bands and spearmen; the emperor of thousands of horsemen.
The unfathomable ocean of fire and water must be crossed.
The other shore cannot be seen; only the roar of pitiful cries can be heard.
O Nanak, there, it shall be known, whether anyone is a king or an emperor. ||4||
Pauree:
Some have chains around their necks, in bondage to the Lord.
They are released from bondage, realizing the True Lord as True.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Hadith (An-Nawawi 13)
“None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
Leviticus 19:18
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mahabharata 5.1517
“One should never do to another what one regards as injurious to oneself.”
The Path to Wisdom
Proverbs 4:7
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
Dhammapada 20:282
“Wisdom springs from meditation; without meditation wisdom wanes.”
Analects 2:11
“If you study the past and use it to understand the present, you are worthy of being a teacher.”
Tao Te Ching 33
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.”
Humility & Surrender
Bhagavad Gita 18:66
“Abandon all varieties of dharma and simply surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions; do not fear.”
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Tao Te Ching 22
“If you want to become whole, let yourself be partial. If you want to become full, let yourself be empty.”
Quran 2:45
“Seek help through patience and prayer. It is indeed exacting, but not for those who are humble.”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Dhammapada 1:1-2
“Mind is the forerunner of all actions. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow.”
Genesis 1:3
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”