________________
-509
This is the conduct of the self-willed manmukhs. They do not obtain the Lord's Name, and they waste away their lives in vain; O Nanak, the Messenger of Death punishes and dishonors them. || 2 || PAUREE: He created Himself - at that time, there was no other. He consulted Himself for advice, and what He did came to pass. At that time, there were no Akaashic Ethers, no nether regions, nor the three worlds. At that time, only the Formless Lord Himself existed - there was no creation. As it pleased Him, so did He act; without Him, there was no other. || 1 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: My Master is eternal. He is seen by practicing the Word of the Shabad. He never perishes; He does not come or go in reincarnation. So serve Him, forever and ever; He is contained in all. Why serve another who is born, and then dies? Fruitless is the life of those who do not know their Lord and Master, and who center their consciousness on others. O Nanak, it cannot be known, how much punishment the Creator shall inflict on them. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: Meditate on the True Name; the True Lord is pervading everywhere. O Nanak, by understanding the Hukam of the Lord's Command, one becomes acceptable, and then obtains the fruit of Truth. He wanders around babbling and speaking, but he does not understand the Lord's Command at all. He is blind, the falsest of the false. || 2 || PAUREE: Creating union and separation, He laid the foundations of the Universe. By His Command, the Lord of Light fashioned the Universe, and infused His Divine Light into it. From the Lord of Light, all light originates. The True Guru proclaims the Word of the Shabad. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, under the influence of the three dispositions, were put to their tasks. He created the root of Maya, and the peace obtained in the fourth state of consciousness. || 2 || SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: That alone is chanting, and that alone is deep meditation, which is pleasing to the True Guru. Pleasing the True Guru, glorious greatness is obtained. O Nanak, renouncing self-conceit, one merges into the Guru. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: How rare are those who receive the Guru's Teachings. O Nanak, he alone receives it, whom the Lord Himself blesses with glorious greatness. || 2 || PAUREE: Emotional attachment to Maya is spiritual darkness; it is very difficult and such a heavy load. Loaded with so very many stones of sin, how can the boat cross over? Those who are attuned to the Lord's devotional worship night and day are carried across. Under the Instruction of the Guru's Shabad, one sheds egotism and corruption, and the mind becomes immaculate. Meditate on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har; the Lord, Har, Har, is our Saving Grace. || 3 || SHALOK: O Kabeer, the gate of liberation is narrow, less than one-tenth of a mustard seed. The mind has become as big as an elephant; how can it pass through this gate? If one meets such a True Guru, by His Pleasure, He shows His Mercy. Then, the gate of liberation becomes wide open, and the soul easily passes through. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: O Nanak, the gate of liberation is very narrow; only the very tiny can pass through. Through egotism, the mind has become bloated. How can it pass through?