Those who have not contemplated the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, are unworthy; they come and go in reincarnation. One who has not met with the True Guru, the Primal Being, is bothered and bewildered in the terrifying world-ocean. This jewel of the soul is priceless, and yet it is being squandered like this, in exchange for a mere shell. Those who joyfully meet with the True Guru are perfectly fulfilled and wise. Meeting with the Guru, they cross over the terrifying world-ocean. In the Court of the Lord, they are honored and approved. O Nanak, their faces are radiant; the Music of the Shabad, the Word of God, wells up within them.

Make your deals, dealers, and take care of your merchandise. Buy that object which will go along with you. In the next world, the All-knowing Merchant will take this object and care for it. O Siblings of Destiny, chant the Lord's Name, and focus your consciousness on Him. Take the Merchandise of the Lord's Praises with you.

Your Husband Lord shall see this and approve. Those who do not have the Assets of Truth – how can they find peace? By dealing their deals of falsehood, their minds and bodies become false. They suffer in terrible agony; they continually cry out in pain. |The counterfeit coins are not put into the Treasury; they do not obtain the Blessed Vision of the Lord-Guru. The false ones have no social status or honor. No one succeeds through falsehood. Practicing falsehood again and again, people come and go in reincarnation, and forfeit their honor. O Nanak, instruct your mind through the Word of the Guru's Shabad (Essence of God), and praise the Lord. Those who are imbued with the love of the Name of the Lord are not loaded down by doubt. Those who chant the Name of the Lord earn great profits; the Fearless Lord abides within their minds.

Wealth, the beauty of youth and flowers are guests for only a few days. Like the leaves of the water-lily, they wither and fade and finally die. Be happy, dear beloved, as long as your youth is fresh and delightful. But your days are few – you have grown weary, and now your body has grown old.

My playful friends have gone to sleep in the graveyard. In my double-mindedness, I shall have to go as well. I cry in a feeble voice.

|Prays Nanak, please hear my prayer: You are the pool, and You are the soul-swan. You are the lotus flower of the day and You are the water-lily of the night. You Yourself behold them, and blossom forth in bliss.

Make this body the field, and plant the seed of good actions. Water it with the Name of the Lord, who holds all the world in His Hands. Let your mind be the farmer; the Lord shall sprout in your heart, and you shall attain the state of Nirvana (Eternal Bliss). You fool! Why are you so proud of Maya (illusion)? Father, children, spouse, mother and all relatives – they shall not be your helpers in the end.

So weed out evil, wickedness and corruption; leave these behind, and let your soul meditate on God. When chanting, austere meditation and self-discipline become your protectors, then the lotus blossoms forth, and the honey trickles out. Bring the twenty-seven elements of the body under your control, and throughout the three stages of life, remember death. See the Infinite Lord in the ten directions, and in all the variety of nature. Says Nanak, in this way, the One Lord shall carry you across. ||

Make good deeds the soil, and let the Word of the Shabad (Essence of God) be the seed; irrigate it continually with the water of Truth. Become such a farmer, and faith will sprout. This brings knowledge of heaven and hell, you fool! Do not think that your Husband Lord can be obtained by mere words. You are wasting this life in the pride of wealth and the splendor of beauty.

The defect of the body which leads to sin is the mud puddle, and this mind is the frog, which does not appreciate the lotus flower at all. The bumble bee is the teacher who continually teaches the lesson. But how can one understand, unless one is made to understand? This speaking and listening is like the song of the wind, for those whose minds are colored by the love of Maya (illusion).

The Grace of the Master is bestowed upon those who meditate on Him alone. They are pleasing to His Heart. You may observe the thirty fasts, and say the five prayers each day, but 'Satan' can undo them. Says Nanak, you will have to walk on the Path of Death, so why do you bother to collect wealth and property? He is the Master who has made the world bloom; He makes the Universe blossom forth, fresh and green. He holds the water and the land in bondage. Hail to the Creator Lord!

The True Creator Lord is, and shall always be. He was not born; He shall not die. You may chant your prayers five times each day; you may read the Bible and the Koran. Says Nanak, the grave is calling you, and now your food and drink are finished. The dogs of greed are with me. In the early morning, they continually bark at the wind.

|I have not followed good advice, nor have I done good deeds. I am deformed and horribly disfigured. Your Name alone, Lord, saves the world. This is my hope; this is my support. With my mouth I speak slander, day and night. I spy on the houses of others – I am such a wretched low-life! Unfulfilled sexual desire and unresolved anger dwell in my body, like the outcasts who cremate the dead.

I make plans to trap others, although I appear gentle. I am a robber – I rob the world. I am very clever – I carry loads of sin. I have not appreciated what You have done for me, Lord; I take from others and exploit them. What face shall I show You, Lord? I am a sneak and a thief. Nanak describes the state of the lowly.

There is one awareness among all created beings. None have been created without this awareness. As is their awareness, so is their way. According to the account of our actions, we come and go in reincarnation. Why, O soul, do you try such clever tricks? Taking away and giving back, God does not delay.

All beings belong to You; all beings are Yours. O Lord and Master, how can You become angry with them? Even if You, O Lord and Master, become angry with them, still, You are theirs, and they are Yours. We are foul-mouthed; we spoil everything with our foul words. You weigh us in the balance of Your Glance of Grace. When one's actions are right, the understanding is perfect. Without good deeds, it becomes more and more deficient. Prays Nanak, what is the nature of the spiritual people? They are self-realized; they understand God. By Guru's Grace, they contemplate Him; such spiritual people are honored in His Court.

You are the River, All-knowing and All-seeing. I am just a fish – how can I find Your limit? Wherever I look, You are there. Outside of You, I would burst and die. I do not know of the fisherman, and I do not know of the net. But when the pain comes, then I call upon You.

You are present everywhere. I had thought that You were far away. Whatever I do, I do in Your Presence. You see all my actions, and yet I deny them. I have not worked for You, or Your Name. Whatever You give me, that is what I eat. There is no other door – unto which door should I go? Nanak offers this one prayer: this body and soul are totally Yours. He Himself is near, and He Himself is far away; He Himself is in-between. He Himself beholds, and He Himself listens. By His Creative Power, He created the world. Whatever pleases Him, O Nanak – that Command is acceptable.

Why should the created beings feel pride in their minds? The Gift is in the Hands of the Great Giver. As it pleases Him, He may give, or not give. What can be done by the order of the created beings? He Himself is True; Truth is pleasing to His Will. The spiritually blind are unripe and imperfect, inferior and worthless.

The One who owns the trees of the forest and the plants of the garden – according to their nature, He gives them all their names. The Flower and the Fruit of the Lord's Love are obtained by pre-ordained destiny. As we plant, so we harvest and eat. The wall of the body is temporary, as is the soul-mason within it. The flavor of the intellect is bland and insipid without the Salt. O Nanak, as He wills, He makes things right. Without the Name, no one is approved.

The Undeceiveable is not deceived by deception. He cannot be wounded by any dagger. As our Lord and Master keeps us, so do we exist. The soul of this greedy person is tossed this way and that. Without the oil, how can the lamp be lit?

Let the reading of your prayer book be the oil, and let the Fear of God be the wick for the lamp of this body. Light this lamp with the understanding of Truth. Use this oil to light this lamp. Light it, and meet your Lord and Master.

This body is softened with the Word of the Guru's Bani; you shall find peace, doing seva (selfless service).

All the world continues coming and going in reincarnation. In the midst of this world, do seva, and you shall be given a place of honor in the Court of the Lord. Says Nanak, swing your arms in joy!