Ang-401 — Chapter 74
Pauree:
You Yourself created the creation; You Yourself infused Your power into it.
You behold Your creation, like the losing and winning dice of the earth.
Whoever has come, shall depart; all shall have their turn.
He who owns our soul, and our very breath of life - why should we forget that Lord and Master from our minds?
With our own hands, let us resolve our own affairs. ||20||
Salok, Second Mehl:
What sort of love is this, which clings to duality?
O Nanak, he alone is called a lover, who remains forever immersed in absorption.
But one who feels good only when good is done for him, and feels bad when things go badly
- do not call him a lover. He trades only for his own account. ||1||
Second Mehl:
One who offers both respectful greetings and rude refusal to his master, has gone wrong from the very beginning.
O Nanak, both of his actions are false; he obtains no place in the Court of the Lord. ||2||
Pauree:
Serving Him, peace is obtained; meditate and dwell upon that Lord and Master forever.
Why do you do such evil deeds, that you shall have to suffer so?
Do not do any evil at all; look ahead to the future with foresight.
So throw the dice in such a way, that you shall not lose with your Lord and Master.
Do those deeds which shall bring you profit. ||21||
Salok, Second Mehl:
If a servant performs service, while being vain and argumentative,
he may talk as much as he wants, but he shall not be pleasing to his Master.
But if he eliminates his self-conceit and then performs service, he shall be honored.
O Nanak, if he merges with the one with whom he is attached, his attachment becomes acceptable. ||1||
Second Mehl:
Whatever is in the mind, comes forth; spoken words by themselves are just wind.
He sows seeds of poison, and demands Ambrosial Nectar. Behold - what justice is this? ||2||
Second Mehl:
Friendship with a fool never works out right.
As he knows, he acts; behold, and see that it is so.
One thing can be absorbed into another thing, but duality keeps them apart.
No one can issue commands to the Lord Master; offer instead humble prayers.
Practicing falsehood, only falsehood is obtained. O Nanak, through the Lord's Praise, one blossoms forth. ||3||
Second Mehl:
Friendship with a fool, and love with a pompous person,
are like lines drawn in water, leaving no trace or mark. ||4||
Second Mehl:
If a fool does a job, he cannot do it right.
Even if he does something right, he does the next thing wrong. ||5||
Pauree:
If a servant, performing service, obeys the Will of his Master,
his honor increases, and he receives double his wages.
But if he claims to be equal to his Master, he earns his Master's displeasure.
He loses his entire salary, and is also beaten on his face with shoes.
Let us all celebrate Him, from whom we receive our nourishment.
O Nanak, no one can issue commands to the Lord Master; let us offer prayers instead. ||22||
Salok, Second Mehl:
What sort of gift is this, which we receive only by our own asking?
✦ 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.”
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.”