Ang-601 — Chapter 85
In the pride of youth, wealth and glory, day and night, he remains intoxicated. ||1||
God is merciful to the meek, and forever the Destroyer of pain, but the mortal does not center his mind on Him.
O servant Nanak, among millions, only a rare few, as Gurmukh, realize God. ||2||2||
Dhanaasaree, Ninth Mehl:
That Yogi does not know the way.
Understand that his heart is filled with greed, emotional attachment, Maya and egotism. ||1||Pause||
One who does not slander or praise others, who looks upon gold and iron alike,
who is free from pleasure and pain - he alone is called a true Yogi. ||1||
The restless mind wanders in the ten directions - it needs to be pacified and restrained.
Says Nanak, whoever knows this technique is judged to be liberated. ||2||3||
Dhanaasaree, Ninth Mehl:
Now, what efforts should I make?
How can I dispel the anxieties of my mind? How can I cross over the terrifying world-ocean? ||1||Pause||
Obtaining this human incarnation, I have done no good deeds; this makes me very afraid!
In thought, word and deed, I have not sung the Lord's Praises; this thought worries my mind. ||1||
I listened to the Guru's Teachings, but spiritual wisdom did not well up within me; like a beast, I fill my belly.
Says Nanak, O God, please confirm Your Law of Grace; for only then can I, the sinner, be saved. ||2||4||9||9||13||58||4||93||
Dhanaasaree, First Mehl, Second House, Ashtpadheeyaa:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
The Guru is the ocean, filled with pearls.
The Saints gather in the Ambrosial Nectar; they do not go far away from there.
They taste the subtle essence of the Lord; they are loved by God.
Within this pool, the swans find their Lord, the Lord of their souls. ||1||
What can the poor crane accomplish by bathing in the mud puddle?
It sinks into the mire, and its filth is not washed away. ||1||Pause||
After careful deliberation, the thoughtful person takes a step.
Forsaking duality, he becomes a devotee of the Formless Lord.
He obtains the treasure of liberation, and enjoys the sublime essence of the Lord.
His comings and goings end, and the Guru protects him. ||2||
The swan do not leave this pool.
In loving devotional worship, they merge in the Celestial Lord.
The swans are in the pool, and the pool is in the swans.
They speak the Unspoken Speech, and they honor and revere the Guru's Word. ||3||
The Yogi, the Primal Lord, sits within the celestial sphere of deepest Samaadhi.
He is not male, and He is not female; how can anyone describe Him?
The three worlds continue to center their attention on His Light.
The silent sages and the Yogic masters seek the Sanctuary of the True Lord. ||4||
The Lord is the source of bliss, the support of the helpless.
The Gurmukhs worship and contemplate the Celestial Lord.
God is the Lover of His devotees, the Destroyer of fear.
Subduing ego, one meets the Lord, and places his feet on the Path. ||5||
He makes many efforts, but still, the Messenger of Death tortures him.
Destined only to die, he comes into the world.
✦ 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.”
Impermanence & Letting Go
Dhammapada 20:277
“All conditioned things are impermanent. When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”
Tao Te Ching 76
“A man is born gentle and weak. At his death he is hard and stiff. The soft and yielding is the disciple of life.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
Bhagavad Gita 2:22
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”
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.”