Compassion and humility were the hallmarks of the great enlightened master and founder of Sikhism. Born in 1469 in Punjab, India, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji traveled far and wide by foot, making long trips from as far as Mecca to present-day Myanmar, to share his simple message: Do honest work, meditate, and share with others. The peaceful and loving path of Sikhism has appealed to many devotees around the world. In global communities, many Sikh practitioners continue with their noble spiritual lineage of vegetarianism, meaning an animal free diet.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s wisdom and teachings, along with the gurus who succeeded him and those of other saints and masters, are embodied in the holy text of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Currently housed in the most sanctified Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, the poetic, divine compositions form the basis for the sacred scriptures of the Sikhs. We present to you today an excerpt of the enlightened teachings of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji from the Holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Thank you, wise viewers, for your company for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples. Coming up next is Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants, right after Noteworthy News. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television. May you always be immersed in the mercy and love from Heaven.

We appreciate your charitable presence for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples. Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants is coming up next, right after Noteworthy News. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television. Wishing you a refreshing shower of wisdom and loving kindness from our Creator.

ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU:

The body of the five elements is dyed in the Fear of the True One; the mind is filled with the True Light. O Nanak, your demerits shall be forgotten; the Guru shall preserve your honor.

O Nanak, the Boat of Truth will ferry you across; contemplate the Guru. Some come, and some go; they are totally filled with egotism. Through stubborn-mindedness, the intellect is drowned; one who becomes Gurmukh (one who follows the Guru’s teachings) and truthful is saved. Without the Guru, how can anyone swim across to find peace? As it pleases You, Lord, You save me. There is no other for me at all.

In front of me, I see the jungle burning; behind me, I see green plants sprouting. We shall merge into the One from whom we came. The True One is pervading each and every heart. He Himself unites us in Union with Himself; the True Mansion of His Presence is close at hand. With each and every breath, I dwell upon You; I shall never forget You. The more the Lord and Master dwells within the mind, the more the Gurmukh (one who follows the Guru’s teachings) drinks in the Ambrosial Nectar.

Mind and body are Yours; You are my Master. Please rid me of my pride, and let me merge with You. The One who formed this universe created the creation of the three worlds. The Gurmukh (one who follows the Guru’s teachings) knows the Divine Light, while the foolish self-willed manmukh (one who follows his or her desires) gropes around in the darkness. One who sees that Light within each and every heart understands the Essence of the Guru's Teachings. Those who understand are Gurmukh (one who follows the Guru’s teachings); recognize and applaud them. They meet and merge with the True One. They become the Radiant Manifestation of the Excellence of the True One. O Nanak, they are contented with the Naam, the Name of the Lord. They offer their bodies and souls to God.

Listen, O my mind, my friend, my darling: now is the time to meet the Lord. As long as there is youth and breath, give this body to Him. Without virtue, it is useless; the body shall crumble into a pile of dust. O my mind, earn the profit, before you return home. The Gurmukh (Truth seeker) praises the Naam (the Name of the Lord), and the fire of egotism is extinguished.

Again and again, we hear and tell stories; we read and write and understand loads of knowledge, but still, desires increase day and night, and the disease of egotism fills us with corruption. That Carefree Lord cannot be appraised; His Real Value is known only through the Wisdom of the Guru's Teachings. Even if someone has hundreds of thousands of clever mental tricks, and the love and company of hundreds of thousands of people – still, without the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, he will not feel satisfied.

Without the Name, all suffer in sorrow. Chanting the Name of the Lord, O my soul, you shall be emancipated; as Gurmukh (Truth seeker), you shall come to understand your own self. I have sold my body and mind to the Guru, and I have given my mind and head as well. I was seeking and searching for Him throughout the three worlds; then, as Gurmukh (Truth seeker), I sought and found Him. The True Guru has united me in Union, O Nanak, with that God.

I have no anxiety about dying, and no hope of living. You are the Cherisher of all beings; You keep the account of our breaths and morsels of food. You abide within the Gurmukh (Truth seeker). As it pleases You, You decide our allotment. O my soul, chant the Name of the Lord; the mind will be pleased and appeased.

The raging fire within is extinguished; the Gurmukh (one who follows the Guru’s teachings) obtains spiritual wisdom. Know the state of your inner being; meet with the Guru and get rid of your skepticism. To reach your True Home after you die, you must conquer death while you are still alive. The beautiful, Unstruck Sound of the Shabad (Essence of God) is obtained, contemplating the Guru. The Unstruck Melody of Gurbani (Guru’s word) is obtained, and egotism is eliminated. I am forever a sacrifice to those who serve their True Guru. They are dressed in robes of honor in the Court of the Lord; the Name of the Lord is on their lips. Wherever I look, I see the Lord pervading there, in the union of Shiva and Shakti, of consciousness and matter.

The three qualities hold the body in bondage; whoever comes into the world is subject to their play. Those who separate themselves from the Lord wander lost in misery. The self-willed manmukhs (those who follow their own desires) do not attain union with Him. If the mind becomes balanced and detached, and comes to dwell in its own true home, imbued with the Fear of God, then it enjoys the essence of supreme spiritual wisdom; it shall never feel hunger again. O Nanak, conquer and subdue this mind; meet with the Lord, and you shall never again suffer in pain.

This foolish mind is greedy; through greed, it becomes even more attached to greed. The evil-minded shaaktas, the faithless cynics, are not attuned to the Shabad (Essence of God); they come and go in reincarnation. One who meets with the Holy True Guru finds the Treasure of Excellence. O mind, renounce your egotistical pride. Serve the Lord, the Guru, the Sacred Pool, and you shall be honored in the Court of the Lord.

Chant the Name of the Lord day and night; become Gurmukh (one who follows the Guru’s teachings), and know the Wealth of the Lord. All comforts and peace, and the Essence of the Lord, are enjoyed by acquiring spiritual wisdom in the Society of the Saints. Day and night, continually serve the Lord God; the True Guru has given the Naam (the Name of the Lord).

Those who slander the Guru shall burn in their own fire. They wander lost and confused, deceived by doubt, suffering in terrible pain. The Messenger of Death shall beat them to a pulp. The self-willed manmukhs (those who follow their own desires) find no peace, while the Gurmukhs (those who follow the Guru’s teachings) are wondrously joyful. In this world, people are engrossed in false pursuits, but in the world hereafter, only the account of your true actions is accepted. The Guru serves the Lord, His Intimate Friend. The Guru's actions are supremely exalted. O Nanak, never forget the Naam, the Name of the Lord; the True Lord shall bless you with His Mark of Grace.

Forgetting the Beloved, even for a moment, the mind is afflicted with terrible diseases. How can honor be attained in His Court, if the Lord does not dwell in the mind? Meeting with the Guru, peace is found. The fire is extinguished in His Glorious Praises. O mind, enshrine the Praises of the Lord, day and night. One who does not forget the Naam (the Name of the Lord), for a moment or even an instant – how rare is such a person in this world!

When one's light merges into the Light, and one's intuitive consciousness is joined with the Intuitive Consciousness, then one's cruel and violent instincts and egotism depart, and skepticism and sorrow are taken away. The Lord abides within the mind of the Gurmukh (one who follows the Guru’s teachings), who merges in the Lord's Union, through the Guru. If I surrender my body like a bride, the Enjoyer will enjoy me.

The Gurmukh (one who follows the Guru’s teachings) puts out the four fires, with the Water of the Lord's Name. The lotus blossoms deep within the heart, and filled with Ambrosial Nectar, one is satisfied. O Nanak, make the True Guru your friend; going to His Court, you shall obtain the True Lord.

Meditate on the Lord, Har, Har, O my beloved; follow the Guru's Teachings, and speak of the Lord. Apply the Touchstone of Truth to your mind, and see if it comes up to its full weight. No one has found the worth of the ruby of the heart; its value cannot be estimated. O Siblings of Destiny, the Diamond of the Lord is within the Guru. The True Guru is found in the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation. Day and night, praise the Word of His Shabad (Essence of God).

The True Merchandise, Wealth and Capital are obtained through the Radiant Light of the Guru. Just as fire is extinguished by pouring on water, desire becomes the slave of the Lord's slaves. The Messenger of Death will not touch you; in this way, you shall cross over the terrifying world-ocean, carrying others across with you. The Gurmukhs (those who follow the Guru’s teachings) do not like falsehood. They are imbued with Truth; they love only Truth.

The shaaktas, the faithless cynics, do not like the Truth; false are the foundations of the false. Imbued with Truth, you shall meet the Guru. The true ones are absorbed into the True Lord. Within the mind are emeralds and rubies, the Jewel of the Naam (Essence of God), treasures and diamonds. The Naam is the True Merchandise and Wealth; in each and every heart, His Presence is deep and profound. O Nanak, the Gurmukh (one who follow the Guru’s teachings) finds the Diamond of the Lord, by His Kindness and Compassion.

The fire of doubt is not extinguished, even by wandering through foreign lands and countries. If inner filth is not removed, one's life is cursed, and one's clothes are cursed. There is no other way to perform devotional worship, except through the Teachings of the True Guru. O mind, become Gurmukh (one who follow the Guru’s teachings), and extinguish the fire within. Let the Words of the Guru abide within your mind; let egotism and desires die.

The jewel of the mind is priceless; through the Name of the Lord, honor is obtained. Join the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation, and find the Lord. The Gurmukh (one who follows the Guru’s teachings) embraces love for the Lord. Give up your selfishness, and you shall find peace; like water mingling with water, you shall merge in absorption.