Image by Enrique Lopez Garre from Pixabay.
Sri Raag, First Mehl – Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji – Ang 75
Author: Guru Nanak Dev Ji
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Sri Raag, First Mehl, Pehray, First House:
In the first watch of the night O my merchant friend you were cast into the womb, by the Lord’s Command.
Upside-down, within the womb, you performed penance, O my merchant friend, and you prayed to your Lord and Master.
You uttered prayers to your Lord and Master, while upside-down, and you meditated on Him with deep love and affection.
You came into this Dark Age of Kali Yuga naked, and you shall depart again naked.
As God’s Pen has written on your forehead, so it shall be with your soul.
Says Nanak, in the first watch of the night, by the Hukam of the Lord’s Command, you enter into the womb. ||1||
In the second watch of the night, O my merchant friend, you have forgotten to meditate.
From hand to hand, you are passed around, O my merchant friend, like Krishna in the house of Yashoda.
From hand to hand, you are passed around, and your mother says, “This is my son.”
O, my thoughtless and foolish mind, think: In the end, nothing shall be yours.
You do not know the One who created the creation. Gather spiritual wisdom within your mind.
Says Nanak, in the second watch of the night, you have forgotten to meditate. || 2 ||
In the third watch of the night, O my merchant friend, your consciousness is focused on wealth and youth.
You have not remembered the Name of the Lord, O my merchant friend, although it would release you from bondage.
You do not remember the Name of the Lord, and you become confused by Maya.
Reveling in your riches and intoxicated with youth, you waste your life uselessly.
You have not traded in righteousness and Dharma; you have not made good deeds your friends.
Says Nanak, in the third watch of the night, your mind is attached to wealth and youth. || 3 ||
In the fourth watch of the night, O my merchant friend, the Grim Reaper comes to the field.
When the Messenger of Death seizes and dispatches you, O my merchant friend, no one knows the mystery of where you have gone.
So think of the Lord! No one knows this secret, of when the Messenger of Death will seize you and take you away.
All your weeping and wailing then is false. In an instant, you become a stranger.
You obtain exactly what you have longed for.
Says Nanak, in the fourth watch of the night, O mortal, the Grim Reaper has harvested your field. ||4||1||
Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Guru Nanak is the first Sikh Guru. He lived for 70 years. He was born in Talwandi, Pakistan and left his physical body in Kartapur Ravi, Pakistan. His father’s name was Mehta Kalyan Chand, but was known as Kalu Ji. His mother’s name was Mata Tripta Ji. His wife’s name was Mata Sulakhni Ji. He had two sons. His elder son was Baba Sri Chand Ji and his second son was Baba Lakshmi Das Ji.
Born into a Hindu family, Guru Nanak rejected the notion of divisions between people based on religion. He taught the Oneness of the Creator and the fundamental brotherhood and sisterhood of all. He stated that the experience of the Divine dwelled within every person, so there was no difference between people based on caste, creed, gender or nationality. His simple but profound philosophy rested on recognizing the fundamental Divinity of all people. When lived in an awareness of the Divine Light within all, human life could become a profound experience of love, truth, patience, peace and contentment
Guru Nanak achieved his state of enlightenment, or realization, sometime around the age of 30. After disappearing into a river and meditating in the water for three days, Guru Nanak emerged having had a powerful vision of the nature of reality, Divinity and human existence. He recorded that vision in a song – known as Japji Sahib – the Song of the Soul. With Japji Sahib, humanity has a rare picture of what a Master experienced at the moment of his enlightenment described in his own words.
Japji Sahib became the foundation of this new spiritual tradition. After his enlightenment, Guru Nanak spent 15 years traveling through India, Asia and Persia. He brought people together of all traditions and sang Divine songs in praise of the Creator, the Creation and the journey of the spirit through time and space. During this time, he also collected songs from other mystics that resonated with his own visions and experience of the Divine. After his travels, he settled down and lived as a farmer, continuing to teach those who came to learn from him.
Biri Kharoud says:
Satnaam Waheguru