Asa di Var: Difference between revisions

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O Nanak, when the Lord grants His Grace, He is obtained.
O Nanak, when the Lord grants His Grace, He is obtained.


He becomes free of hope and fear, and burns away his ego with the Word of the Shabad. ||2||
He becomes free of hope and fear, and burns away his ego with the Word of the Shabad. ||2|| [[Asa_di_Var_-_the_bani#Part_3:_Chant_9_-_12|<big>'''More....'''</big>]]
 
*Pauree:
 
Your devotees are pleasing to Your Mind, Lord. They look beautiful at
Your door, singing Your Praises.
 
O Nanak, those who are denied Your Grace, find no shelter at Your Door; they continue wandering.
 
Some do not understand their origins, and without cause, they display their self-conceit.
 
I am the Lord's minstrel, of low social status; others call themselves high caste.
 
I seek those who meditate on You. ||9||
 
----
 
*Shalok, First Mehl:
 
False is the king, false are the subjects; false is the whole world.
 
False is the mansion, false are the skyscrapers; false are those who live in them.
 
False is gold, and false is silver; false are those who wear them.
 
False is the body, false are the clothes; false is incomparable beauty.
 
False is the husband, false is the wife; they mourn and waste away.
 
The false ones love falsehood, and forget their Creator.
 
With whom should I become friends, if all the world shall pass away?
 
False is sweetness, false is honey; through falsehood, boat-loads of men have drowned.
 
Nanak speaks this prayer: without You, Lord, everything is totally false. ||1||
 
*First Mehl:
 
One knows the Truth only when the Truth is in his heart.
 
The filth of falsehood departs, and the body is washed clean.
 
One knows the Truth only when he bears love to the True Lord.
 
Hearing the Name, the mind is enraptured; then, he attains the gate of salvation.
 
One knows the Truth only when he knows the true way of life.
 
Preparing the field of the body, he plants the Seed of the Creator.
 
One knows the Truth only when he receives true instruction.
 
Showing mercy to other beings, he makes donations to charities.
 
One knows the Truth only when he dwells in the sacred shrine of
pilgrimage of his own soul.
 
He sits and receives instruction from the True Guru, and lives in
accordance with His Will.
 
Truth is the medicine for all; it removes and washes away our sins.
 
Nanak speaks this prayer to those who have Truth in their laps. ||2||
 
*Pauree:
 
The gift I seek is the dust of the feet of the Saints; if I were to obtain it, I would apply it to my forehead.
 
Renounce false greed, and meditate single-mindedly on the unseen Lord.
 
As are the actions we commit, so are the rewards we receive.
 
If it is so pre-ordained, then one obtains the dust of the feet of the Saints.
 
But through small-mindedness, we forfeit the merits of selfless service. ||10||
 
----
 
* Shalok, First Mehl:
 
There is a famine of Truth; falsehood prevails, and the blackness of the Dark Age of Kali Yuga has turned men into demons.
 
Those who planted their seed have departed with honor; now, how can the shattered seed sprout?
 
If the seed is whole, and it is the proper season, then the seed will sprout.
 
O Nanak, without treatment, the raw fabric cannot be dyed.
 
In the Fear of God it is bleached white, if the treatment of modesty is applied to the cloth of the body.
 
O Nanak, if one is imbued with devotional worship, his reputation is not false. ||1||
 
*First Mehl:
 
Greed and sin are the king and prime minister; falsehood is the treasurer.
 
Sexual desire, the chief advisor, is summoned and consulted; they all sit together and contemplate their plans.
 
Their subjects are blind, and without wisdom, they try to please the will of the dead.
 
The spiritually wise dance and play their musical instruments, adorning themselves with beautiful decorations.
 
They shout out loud, and sing epic poems and heroic stories.
 
The fools call themselves spiritual scholars, and by their clever tricks, they love to gather wealth.
 
The righteous waste their righteousness, by asking for the door of salvation.
 
They call themselves celibate, and abandon their homes, but they do not know the true way of life.
 
Everyone calls himself perfect; none call themselves imperfect.
 
If the weight of honor is placed on the scale, then, O Nanak, one sees his true weight. ||2||
 
*First Mehl:
 
Evil actions become publicly known; O Nanak, the True Lord sees everything.
 
Everyone makes the attempt, but that alone happens which the Creator Lord does.
 
In the world hereafter, social status and power mean nothing; hereafter, the soul is new.
 
Those few, whose honor is confirmed, are good. ||3||
 
*Pauree:
 
Only those whose karma You have pre-ordained from the very beginning, O Lord, meditate on You.
 
Nothing is in the power of these beings; You created the various worlds.
 
Some, You unite with Yourself, and some, You lead astray.
 
By Guru's Grace You are known; through Him, You reveal Yourself.
 
We are easily absorbed in You. ||11||
 
----
 
*Shalok, First Mehl:
 
Suffering is the medicine, and pleasure the disease, because where there is pleasure, there is no desire for God.
 
You are the Creator Lord; I can do nothing. Even if I try, nothing happens. ||1||
 
I am a sacrifice to Your almighty creative power which is pervading everywhere.
 
Your limits cannot be known. ||1||Pause||
 
Your Light is in Your creatures, and Your creatures are in Your Light; Your almighty power is pervading everywhere.
 
You are the True Lord and Master; Your Praise is so beautiful. One who sings it, is carried across.
 
Nanak speaks the stories of the Creator Lord; whatever He is to do, He does. ||2||
 
*Second Mehl:
 
The Way of Yoga is the Way of spiritual wisdom; the Vedas are the Way of the Brahmins.
 
The Way of the Khshatriya is the Way of bravery; the Way of the Shudras is service to others.
 
The Way of all is the Way of the One; Nanak is a slave to one who knows this secret; he himself is the Immaculate Divine Lord. ||3||
 
*Second Mehl:
 
The One Lord Krishna is the Divine Lord of all; He is the Divinity of the individual soul.
 
Nanak is a slave to anyone who understands this mystery of the
all-pervading Lord; he himself is the Immaculate Divine Lord. ||4||
 
*First Mehl:
 
Water remains confined within the pitcher, but without water, the pitcher could not have been formed;
 
just so, the mind is restrained by spiritual wisdom, but without the Guru, there is no spiritual wisdom. ||5||
 
*Pauree:
 
If an educated person is a sinner, then the illiterate holy man is not to be punished.
 
As are the deeds done, so is the reputation one acquires.
 
So do not play such a game, which will bring you to ruin at the Court of the Lord.
 
The accounts of the educated and the illiterate shall be judged in the world hereafter.
 
One who stubbornly follows his own mind shall suffer in the world hereafter. ||12||


=== Part 4: Chant 13 - 16===
=== Part 4: Chant 13 - 16===

Revision as of 06:02, 25 August 2008

ASA KI VAR, as recorded in the index to the Guru Granth Sahib but is commonly called "Asa di Var." The term comprises three words: The word var means an ode or form of lyrical verse; the word Asa which means "hope" in Punjabi) is also a Raag or musical measure used in the Guru Granth Sahib; and "ki" or "di" mean "of". Thus together the terms means "A ballad of hope". It is a composition by Guru Nanak sung by kirtania (religious musicians) at Sikh congregations as part of the early morning service. Raag Asa is the raga of pre-dawn hours and the custom of reciting the hymn at morning time is traced to the days of Guru Nanak himself.

It is said that Bhai Lahina (later, Guru Angad) was the first to sing it in the presence of Guru Nanak. The Var then comprised twenty four pauris or stanzas by Guru Nanak and some slokas which were also of his composition as indicated in the title given it by Guru Arjan when entering the composition in the Holy Book (salok bhi mahalle pahile ke likhe), the slokas were also composed by the First Guru, Guru Nanak. In its present form, it carries twenty four stanzas with a total of fifty nine slokas, 45 by Guru Nanak and 14 by Guru Angad.


Recitation format

At the time of recitation, the choir will prefix each of the stanzas by a quatrain from the series by Guru Ram Das entered separately under Raga Asa, collectively known as "chakkas", or sextettes from the groups of six quatrains each counting as a unit. They will also punctuate the singing with illustrative hymns from Guru Granth Sahib and with passages from Bhai Gurdas and Bhai Nand Lal whose compositions constitute approved texts.

According to the musical direction recorded by Guru Arjan at the beginning of the Var, it is meant to be recited in the tune of an old folk ballad which had as its hero a prince by the name of Asraja, called "Tunda Asraj" because of a maimed hand (tunda). From passage to passage, the Var touches upon several different themes, but one central point of emphasis is the state of man, and how he may liberate himself from the bondage of self and prepare himself for union with the Divine. The text is also strewn with telling social comment. The ills of contemporary life, its inequalities and artificialities are sharply noticed.

Structure and meaning

There are lines alluding to the moral decay that had set in, and showing how cant, hypocrisy and superstition passed under the name of religion and how people had begun aping the dress and language of their foreign masters. The Var opens with the praise of the Guru, the spiritual preceptor, who brings light into the world. "Were a hundred of moons to rise and a thousand suns, the light so created will be but utter darkness without the Guru."

In this sloka Guru Angad is saying how vital the Guru`s instruction is for the individual.

  • God, says Guru Nanak, is the creator of all that exists and in His creation He manifested His name. He, the Beneficent One, is the source of mercy and grace (1). They who attach themselves to His Name are the winners in life; the rest remain losers (2). One will find by His grace alone the true Guru who puts him in the path of righteousness and helps him rid himself of his ego (3). The Guru will reveal to him the truth. Without the aid of the Guru, no one has comprehended the Reality. The Guru helps one to overcome one`s attachment to what is unreal and leads one to liberation everlasting (6). They who cherish the true Lord turn not their feet towards sin. Their path is paved with good deeds and they practise righteousness. They sing praises of the Supreme Being and rejoice in His grace (7). All the formal acts of piety and all the austerities performed at holy places will be of little avail. They alone will please the Lord who give Him their loving devotion. God`s own minstrel, Nanak, seeks the company of those who remain absorbed in Him (9).
  • In the world beyond neither caste nor power will prevail. They alone will receive honour there who are by the Lord favoured. Sweetness and humility are the essence of all virtue. Rejecting the sacred thread of the highborn. Guru Nanak tells the Brahman that he had little use for the ceremonial cord which got soiled and broke. What he would rather have was a cord made of the cotton of compassion, spun into the thread of contentment, twisted with truth and knitted with continence. He who submits to the Lord`s will is approved and is received at the divine portal. Commenting upon the hypocrisy prevalent in contemporary society, he says that Brahmans wear their traditional apparels and plant the saffron mark on their foreheads, yet they eat the grain they receive from those they call unclean.
  • Inside their homes they worship their idols, and outside they read books of the Muslims and take to their ways. Those wearing the sacred thread round their neck carry in their hand the butcher`s knife. The woman who has given birth to a child is not impure as the custom decrees. Impure is the mind which is filled with covetousness, impure is the tongue which utters falsehood, impure are the eyes which look at another`s woman; impure is the ear which hears slander. The impurity of impurities is to become attached to anyone/anything other than Him. Why call woman evil of whom great men are born? Do not stigmatize anyone as evil. That is the essence of all knowledge. Nor should one argue with a fool (19).
  • He who carries a harsh tongue, his mind and body are both impaired. In the true Lord`s court will he be discarded. Remember always the Lord by cherishing whom one lives ever in comfort (21). How just are they who sow poison and hope to distil nectar from it ? Infinite, unlimited is the Lord. He Himself is the doer and He Himself causes things to be done. Before whom else may one lay one`s appeal (23)? Beyond enumerating are the excellences of the Supreme Being. He is the Creator, the Beneficent One, the Sustainer of all. One but does what one is assigned to.

The message of Asa ki Vaar

The Asa-di-var does not tell a story, its theme is: "How to become a spiritual person"- a devta, "a spiritual being". In it, Guru Nanak also warns us against the rituals and tricks of priests and monks. The most important thing is how to build up one's character and how to remove the obstacles that lay in the path of a disciple, the most important of which is the ego, selfishness or conceit.

Even holy persons, who are outwardly very good and kind, often suffer from religious pride. Sometimes so-called religious people, commit heinous crimes through self-righteousness and bigotry. It should be remembered that Ego in its pure essence is self-awareness or identity which when regulated is an essential, for it is the basis of one's character or moral nature. When regulated by right motivation and active service, it is positive and beneficial. But if uncontrolled through self pride of position or riches, it becomes selfish and mean.

The effects of the Ego are particularly contemptible and disastrous when disguised by the apparent holiness or tradition, which exploits ordinary people's ignorance and credulity. The practice of humility and love are the most effective qualities for keeping people away from sin, far better than all recitations and rituals of religion.

Initially, it is the fear of God's wrath or displeasure which inspires the seeker to offer worship and prayer. Over the years this fear should become gradually replaced by love and self surrender, so that he loses his Impatience with those who are imperfect; he is in sympathy with them, for they are like strayed sheep. Only by self-discipline and serving other people, can one become worthy of divine grace. Associate with holy persons and learn from them, the secrets of spiritual wisdom.

Egotism, pollution and falsehood

The Asa-di-var also deals with concepts like Guru, Grace, Egoism, pollution (Sutak) and falsehood. The Guru's personality and message transform the life of the disciple. Guru Nanak says:

"By meeting the Guru, The Truth, is realised; He banishes Ego from the mind of man; He gives insight in to supreme Reality. Only The Guru can grant the gift of "The Holy Name." (AG, 465)

The Guru sets a course of life for his disciple, that of plain living and high thinking. Following this, the seeker's life-style begins to change:

"The good ones, who are absorbed in "The Truth," do service; They do no evil; They travel on the right path and do what is just; They break worldly bonds. They eat and drink, little." (AG, 467)

There is also the concept of 'Self.' Our individual self is only a minuscule part of Universal Reality. It is only by understanding our own self-limits that we achieve the highest goals of our own existence.

Ignorance, selfishness and self-gratification

Through ignorance, we engage ourselves in selfishness and enjoyment, this will frustrate our hopes of a higher life. Man starts this life coupled to the background of his previous life. His past and present mould his future. We have self-will with which we can modify our own conduct. It is only when we attune our own will to the Supreme Will, that we can become super-men.

Now to a summary of the Asa-di-var in serial order. After explaining the role of a spiritual teacher (Guru) Nanak goes to tell us that divine wisdom is acquired through intellect. The Guru offers us a vision of a God whose whole presence in made manifest in Nature. The world is not a dream, but an impermanent reality. If people really observe God's creation, they will be filled with wonder. The entire Cosmos, follows Divine Ordinance or law; so should we. The Lord is not pleased by the theatrics of the so-called ncarnates, but only by acts of love and devotion.

The religious teacher instructs his disciples to distinguish good from bad, true from false. However, the assertion of individual ego, is the great obstacle to the process of moral law. So that our self-assertiveness should be replaced by self-surrender. By submission to His Divine Will, one may win the favour of the Lord.


Judged by our conduct

Secular knowledge or scholarship does not prevent us from sinning. Ultimately we will be judged not by our learning or status, but by our conduct. Arguing, hair-splitting over sacred texts, the performance of rituals and traditional offerings or the wearing of symbols or other marks of holiness, are of no avail. What counts is self-control, purity and compassion.

God knows our inner selves and cannot be cheated by any so-called holy practice. He reads our hearts and is not affected by only recitations of holy texts, markings on the fore-head with sandal-wood paste, cooking food within plastered squares, offering of choice dishes and libations of water, or by the barley-rolls and leafy platters, served to priests for the benefit of the dead. These things are done to win popular acclaim or to appease priests.

Guru Nanak exposed the maladies of his time. Both Hindu and Muslim have strayed from the path of their religious preceptors and practised greed, falsehood, extortion and tyranny. The Guru rejected the 'Transfer-theory' of Brahmins, that offerings given to them, were of benefit to the ancestors of the donors. God will ultimately punish them for deceiving and exploiting ordinary people.

Misconceptions about nature

Guru Nanak also exposed any idea of pollution, being connected with the events of birth and death. These two are natural events being ordained by God. Real pollution is self incurred; it comes from greed, lust, lying and slander, all of which corrupt the mind. There is nothing wrong with food and drink. Impurity does not exist in matter, but in one's ego, indifference to God and other people.

Guru Nanak also warned us against lust in sex. In his era, women were neglected and held in contempt by men. Both Hindus and Muslims, ill-treated their women. The Guru praised the role of woman in family life. Prof. Puran Singh wrote in this connection:

"The Guru transcends gender of the person. Women, says the Guru, are the centre of life here on earth and in heaven. Man is born of woman; he is wedded to women. How can woman be outside the spiritual court, she who gives birth to the geniuses of this world? Talking slander, as is done of woman, is to slander one's soul."

Women are equally responsible to God for their actions There is no reason why we should conduct ourselves so foolishly towards each other. If we are learned, we should not call any one low or inferior. Let there be no rudeness or discourtesy between one person and another. People who are over-bearing and haughty only harden their own hearts. All people are equal and human. It is not right for any one to pass judgment on or vilify others.

Seeker of "Truth"

The True seeker of "The Truth" welcomes all that comes from God-both good or ill-as a blessing. He does not criticize Him or rail at Him. A love of God cannot live in the heart that loves only itself. Servants of God must content themselves by only obeying God's will and ask for no reward or bonus. If they abide by His will, they will be content and filled with compassion of others. They will not feel disturbed, if others appear to be more fortunate. They constantly endeavor to put their wills in harmony with Divine Will.

Summing up the Asa-di-var's message we can summarise it under three headings ethical, social and metaphysical. Under ethical teaching, we find the Guru's emphasis is on over comings one's ego by humility, truth, virtue, holy living and keeping the company of saints. Even though the Guru also puts a premium on discrimination-Bibek-Budhi--leaming to sort good from bad, he emphatically refutes any belief that austerities like fasting, bathing, ritual worship have spiritual merit.

The social teaching of the Guru relates to the current trends of the age; caste pride and prejudice, bribery, greed, hypocrisy, the tyranny of kings and rulers and priestly class as all of which were accepted as a matter of course. The Guru pointed to the need of improving of the conditions of the poor and under-privileged. The metaphysical aspect of the Asa-di-var emphasizes Divine Ordinance (Hukum), God's grace, the wonders of Nature and the pervading spirit of God in all His creation. The style of the language of the Asa-di-var is crisp, and pithy. Some of the lines form proverbs which need to be treasured. A few are given below:

Suffering is a remedy, pleasure a disease (for in pleasure God is forgotten).
Sweetness of speech and humility are the essence of virtues.
Ego is a deep-rooted disease, but in it lies its own cure as well.
Learned fools are those in love with scepticism and doubt.


Summary

Asa Ki Var is a collection of 24 pauris or stanzas written by Guru Nanak Devji (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, page 462-475). The founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev ji wrote the first 9 together on one occasion and later wrote 15 more stanzas on a different occasion. These two parts were then compiled together by the 5th Guru, Guru Arjan Dev ji in 1604 AD.

When Guru Arjan Dev ji was assimilating the Holy Granth, he added a few Sloks of Guru Nanak and in some cases Guru Angad Dev ji, the second Guru of the Sikhs. These Sloks are tied together in a way that they relate to the same theme as highlighted in the pauri. In its present form, the Asa Di War contains a few more shabads recited by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru.

The Asa Di War kirtan is recited in the early morning hours in a very melodious way and style as mentioned by Guru Arjan Dev Ji called "Tunde Asraje Ki Dhuni" after the name of the contemporary brave and pious king Asraj. One of the hands of the king was amputated, so he was called Tunda meaning crippled. The deeds and the ode of this king was sung by the bards in that typical fashion which then was extremely popular and melodious and was therefore adopted to performing Asa Di War.

The Bani in English

The bani translated into English

(From SGGS Page 462 line 17 to page 475 line 10).

One Universal Creator God. Truth Is The Name. Creative Being Personified.

No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying. Beyond Birth. Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace:

  • Aasaa, First Mehl:

Vaar With Shaloks, And Shaloks Written By The First Mehl.

To Be Sung To The Tune Of 'Tunda-Asraajaa':

Part 1: Chant 1 - 4

  • Shalok, First Mehl:

A hundred times a day, I am a sacrifice to my Guru;

He made angels out of men, without delay. ||1||

  • Second Mehl:

If a hundred moons were to rise, and a thousand suns appeared,

even with such light, there would still be pitch darkness without the Guru. ||2||

  • First Mehl:

O Nanak, those who do not think of the Guru, and who think of themselves as clever,

shall be left abandoned in the field, like the scattered sesame.

They are abandoned in the field, says Nanak, and they have a hundred masters to please.

The wretches bear fruit and flower, but within their bodies, they are filled with ashes. ||3||

  • Pauree:

He Himself created Himself; He Himself assumed His Name.

Secondly, He fashioned the creation; seated within the creation, He beholds it with delight.

You Yourself are the Giver and the Creator; by Your Pleasure, You bestow Your Mercy.

You are the Knower of all; You give life, and take it away again with a word.

Seated within the creation, You behold it with delight. ||1|| More....

Part 2: Chant 5 - 8

  • Shalok, First Mehl:

All the hours are the milk-maids, and the quarters of the day are the Krishnas.

The wind, water and fire are the ornaments; the sun and moon are the incarnations.

All of the earth, property, wealth and articles are all entanglements.

O Nanak, without divine knowledge, one is plundered, and devoured by the Messenger of Death. ||1||

  • First Mehl:

The disciples play the music, and the gurus dance.

They move their feet and roll their heads.

The dust flies and falls upon their hair.

Beholding them, the people laugh, and then go home.

They beat the drums for the sake of bread.

They throw themselves upon the ground.

They sing of the milk-maids, they sing of the Krishnas.

They sing of Sitas, and Ramas and kings.

The Lord is fearless and formless; His Name is True.

The entire universe is His Creation.

Those servants, whose destiny is awakened, serve the Lord.

The night of their lives is cool with dew; their minds are filled with love for the Lord.

Contemplating the Guru, I have been taught these teachings;

granting His Grace, He carries His servants across.

The oil-press, the spinning wheel, the grinding stones, the potter's wheel,

the numerous, countless whirlwinds in the desert,

the spinning tops, the churning sticks, the threshers,

the breathless tumblings of the birds,

and the men moving round and round on spindles

- O Nanak, the tumblers are countless and endless.

The Lord binds us in bondage - so do we spin around.

According to their actions, so do all people dance.

Those who dance and dance and laugh, shall weep on their ultimate departure.

They do not fly to the heavens, nor do they become Siddhas.

They dance and jump around on the urgings of their minds.

O Nanak, those whose minds are filled with the Fear of God, have the love of God in their minds as well. ||2|| More....

Part 3: Chant 9 - 12

  • Shalok, First Mehl:

You may read and read loads of books; you may read and study vast multitudes of books.

You may read and read boat-loads of books; you may read and read and fill pits with them.

You may read them year after year; you may read them as many months are there are.

You may read them all your life; you may read them with every breath.

O Nanak, only one thing is of any account: everything else is useless babbling and idle talk in ego. ||1||

  • First Mehl:

The more one write and reads,

the more one burns.

The more one wanders at sacred shrines of pilgrimage,

the more one talks uselessly.

The more one wears religious robes, the more pain he causes his body.

O my soul, you must endure the consequences of your own actions.

One who does not eat the corn, misses out on the taste.

One obtains great pain, in the love of duality.

One who does not wear any clothes,

suffers night and day.

Through silence, he is ruined.

How can the sleeping one be awakened without the Guru?

One who goes barefoot

suffers by his own actions.

One who eats filth and throws ashes on his head

- the blind fool loses his honor.

Without the Name, nothing is of any use.

One who lives in the wilderness, in cemetaries and cremation grounds

- that blind man does not know the Lord; he regrets and repents in the end.

One who meets the True Guru finds peace.

He enshrines the Name of the Lord in his mind.

O Nanak, when the Lord grants His Grace, He is obtained.

He becomes free of hope and fear, and burns away his ego with the Word of the Shabad. ||2|| More....

Part 4: Chant 13 - 16

  • Shalok, First Mehl:

O Nanak, the soul of the body has one chariot and one charioteer.

In age after age they change; the spiritually wise understand this.

In the Golden Age of Sat Yuga, contentment was the chariot and righteousness the charioteer. In the Silver Age of Traytaa Yuga, celibacy was the chariot and power the charioteer.

In the Brass Age of Dwaapar Yuga, penance was the chariot and truth the charioteer.

In the Iron Age of Kali Yuga, fire is the chariot and falsehood the charioteer. ||1||

  • First Mehl:

The Sama Veda says that the Lord Master is robed in white; in the Age of Truth, everyone desired Truth, abided in Truth, and was merged in the Truth.

The Rig Veda says that God is permeating and pervading everywhere; among the deities, the Lord's Name is the most exalted.

Chanting the Name, sins depart;

O Nanak, then, one obtains salvation.

In the Jujar Veda, Kaan Krishna of the Yaadva tribe seduced Chandraavali by force.

He brought the Elysian Tree for his milk-maid, and revelled in Brindaaban.

In the Dark Age of Kali Yuga, the Atharva Veda became prominent; Allah became the Name of God.

Men began to wear blue robes and garments; Turks and Pat'haans assumed power.

The four Vedas each claim to be true.

Reading and studying them, four doctrines are found.

With loving devotional worship, abiding in humility, O Nanak, salvation is attained. ||2||

  • Pauree:

I am a sacrifice to the True Guru; meeting Him, I have come to cherish the Lord Master.

He has taught me and given me the healing ointment of spiritual wisdom, and with these eyes, I behold the world.

Those dealers who abandon their Lord and Master and attach themselves to another, are drowned.

The True Guru is the boat, but few are those who realize this.

Granting His Grace, He carries them across. ||13||


  • Shalok, First Mehl:

The simmal tree is straight as an arrow; it is very tall, and very thick. But those birds which visit it hopefully, depart disappointed.

Its fruits are tasteless, its flowers are nauseating, and its leaves are useless.

Sweetness and humility, O Nanak, are the essence of virtue and goodness. Everyone bows down to himself; no one bows down to another.

When something is placed on the balancing scale and weighed, the side which descends is heavier.

The sinner, like the deer hunter, bows down twice as much.

But what can be achieved by bowing the head, when the heart is impure? ||1||

  • First Mehl:

You read your books and say your prayers, and then engage in debate;

you worship stones and sit like a stork, pretending to be in Samaadhi.

With your mouth you utter falsehood, and you adorn yourself with precious decorations;

you recite the three lines of the Gayatri three times a day.

Around your neck is a rosary, and on your forehead is a sacred mark;

upon your head is a turban, and you wear two loin cloths.

If you knew the nature of God,

you would know that all of these beliefs and rituals are in vain.

Says Nanak, meditate with deep faith;

without the True Guru, no one finds the Way. ||2||

  • Pauree:

Abandoning the world of beauty, and beautiful clothes, one must depart.

He obtains the rewards of his good and bad deeds.

He may issue whatever commands he wishes, but he shall have to take to the narrow path hereafter.

He goes to hell naked, and he looks hideous then.

He regrets the sins he committed. ||14||


  • Shalok, First Mehl:

Make compassion the cotton, contentment the thread, modesty the knot and truth the twist.

This is the sacred thread of the soul; if you have it, then go ahead and put it on me.

It does not break, it cannot be soiled by filth, it cannot be burnt, or lost.

Blessed are those mortal beings, O Nanak, who wear such a thread around their necks.

You buy the thread for a few shells, and seated in your enclosure, you put it on.

Whispering instructions into others' ears, the Brahmin becomes a guru.

But he dies, and the sacred thread falls away, and the soul departs without it. ||1||

  • First Mehl:

He commits thousands of robberies, thousands of acts of adultery, thousands of falsehoods and thousands of abuses.

He practices thousands of deceptions and secret deeds, night and day, against his fellow beings.

The thread is spun from cotton, and the Brahmin comes and twists it. The goat is killed, cooked and eaten, and everyone then says, "Put on the sacred thread."

When it wears out, it is thrown away, and another one is put on.

O Nanak, the thread would not break, if it had any real strength. ||2||

  • First Mehl:

Believing in the Name, honor is obtained. The Lord's Praise is the true sacred thread.

Such a sacred thread is worn in the Court of the Lord; it shall never break. ||3||

  • First Mehl:

There is no sacred thread for the sexual organ, and no thread for woman. The man's beard is spat upon daily.

There is no sacred thread for the feet, and no thread for the hands; no thread for the tongue, and no thread for the eyes.

The Brahmin himself goes to the world hereafter without a sacred thread. Twisting the threads, he puts them on others.

He takes payment for performing marriages;

reading their horoscopes, he shows them the way.

Hear, and see, O people, this wondrous thing.

He is mentally blind, and yet his name is wisdom. ||4||

  • Pauree:

One, upon whom the Merciful Lord bestows His Grace, performs His service.

That servant, whom the Lord causes to obey the Order of His Will, serves Him.

Obeying the Order of His Will, he becomes acceptable, and then, he obtains the Mansion of the Lord's Presence.

One who acts to please His Lord and Master, obtains the fruits of his mind's desires.

Then, he goes to the Court of the Lord, wearing robes of honor. ||15||


  • Shalok, First Mehl:

They tax the cows and the Brahmins, but the cow-dung they apply to their kitchen will not save them.

They wear their loin cloths, apply ritual frontal marks to their foreheads, and carry their rosaries, but they eat food with the Muslims.

O Siblings of Destiny, you perform devotional worship indoors, but read the Islamic sacred texts, and adopt the Muslim way of life.

Renounce your hypocrisy!

Taking the Naam, the Name of the Lord, you shall swim across. ||1||

  • First Mehl:

The man-eaters say their prayers.

Those who wield the knife wear the sacred thread around their necks.

In their homes, the Brahmins sound the conch.

They too have the same taste.

False is their capital, and false is their trade.

Speaking falsehood, they take their food.

The home of modesty and Dharma is far from them.

O Nanak, they are totally permeated with falsehood.

The sacred marks are on their foreheads, and the saffron loin-cloths are around their waists;

in their hands they hold the knives - they are the butchers of the world!

Wearing blue robes, they seek the approval of the Muslim rulers.

Accepting bread from the Muslim rulers, they still worship the Puraanas.

They eat the meat of the goats, killed after the Muslim prayers are read over them,

but they do not allow anyone else to enter their kitchen areas.

They draw lines around them, plastering the ground with cow-dung.

The false come and sit within them.

They cry out, "Do not touch our food, or it will be polluted!"

But with their polluted bodies, they commit evil deeds.

With filthy minds, they try to cleanse their mouths.

Says Nanak, meditate on the True Lord.

If you are pure, you will obtain the True Lord. ||2||

  • Pauree:

All are within Your mind; You see and move them under Your Glance of Grace, O Lord.

You Yourself grant them glory, and You Yourself cause them to act.

The Lord is the greatest of the great; great is His world. He enjoins all to their tasks.

If he should cast an angry glance, He can transform kings into blades of grass.

Even though they may beg from door to door, no one will give them charity. ||16||

Part 5: Chant 17 - 20

  • Shalok, First Mehl:

The thief robs a house, and offers the stolen goods to his ancestors.

In the world hereafter, this is recognized, and his ancestors are considered thieves as well.

The hands of the go-between are cut off; this is the Lord's justice.

O Nanak, in the world hereafter, that alone is received, which one gives to the needy from his own earnings and labor. ||1||

  • First Mehl:

As a woman has her periods, month after month,

so does falsehood dwell in the mouth of the false; they suffer forever, again and again.

They are not called pure, who sit down after merely washing their bodies.

Only they are pure, O Nanak, within whose minds the Lord abides. ||2||

  • Pauree:

With saddled horses, as fast as the wind, and harems decorated in every way;

in houses and pavilions and lofty mansions, they dwell, making ostentatious shows.

They act out their minds' desires, but they do not understand the Lord, and so they are ruined.

Asserting their authority, they eat, and beholding their mansions, they forget about death.

But old age comes, and youth is lost. ||17||


  • Shalok, First Mehl:

If one accepts the concept of impurity, then there is impurity everywhere.

In cow-dung and wood there are worms.

As many as are the grains of corn, none is without life.

First, there is life in the water, by which everything else is made green.

How can it be protected from impurity? It touches our own kitchen.

O Nanak, impurity cannot be removed in this way; it is washed away only by spiritual wisdom. ||1||

  • First Mehl:

The impurity of the mind is greed, and the impurity of the tongue is falsehood.

The impurity of the eyes is to gaze upon the beauty of another man's wife, and his wealth.

The impurity of the ears is to listen to the slander of others.

O Nanak, the mortal's soul goes, bound and gagged to the city of Death. ||2||

First Mehl:

All impurity comes from doubt and attachment to duality.

Birth and death are subject to the Command of the Lord's Will; through His Will we come and go.

Eating and drinking are pure, since the Lord gives nourishment to all.

O Nanak, the Gurmukhs, who understand the Lord, are not stained by impurity. ||3||

  • Pauree:

Praise the Great True Guru; within Him is the greatest greatness.

When the Lord causes us to meet the Guru, then we come to see them. When it pleases Him, they come to dwell in our minds.

By His Command, when He places His hand on our foreheads, wickedness departs from within.

When the Lord is thoroughly pleased, the nine treasures are obtained. ||18||


  • Shalok, First Mehl:

First, purifying himself, the Brahmin comes and sits in his purified enclosure.

The pure foods, which no one else has touched, are placed before him.

Being purified, he takes his food, and begins to read his sacred verses.

But it is then thrown into a filthy place - whose fault is this?

The corn is sacred, the water is sacred; the fire and salt are sacred as well; when the fifth thing, the ghee, is added,

then the food becomes pure and sanctified.

Coming into contact with the sinful human body, the food becomes so impure that is is spat upon.

That mouth which does not chant the Naam, and without the Name eats tasty foods

- O Nanak, know this: such a mouth is to be spat upon. ||1||

  • First Mehl:

From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married.

Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come.

When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound.

So why call her bad? From her, kings are born.

From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all.

O Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman.

That mouth which praises the Lord continually is blessed and beautiful.

O Nanak, those faces shall be radiant in the Court of the True Lord. ||2||

  • Pauree:

All call You their own, Lord; one who does not own You, is picked up and thrown away.

Everyone receives the rewards of his own actions; his account is adjusted accordingly.

Since one is not destined to remain in this world anyway, why should he ruin himself in pride?

Do not call anyone bad; read these words, and understand.

Don't argue with fools. ||19||


  • Shalok, First Mehl:

O Nanak, speaking insipid words, the body and mind become insipid.

He is called the most insipid of the insipid; the most insipid of the insipid is his reputation.

The insipid person is discarded in the Court of the Lord, and the insipid one's face is spat upon.

The insipid one is called a fool; he is beaten with shoes in punishment. ||1||

  • First Mehl:

Those who are false within, and honorable on the outside, are very common in this world.

Even though they may bathe at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage, still, their filth does not depart.

Those who have silk on the inside and rags on the outside, are the good ones in this world.

They embrace love for the Lord, and contemplate beholding Him.

In the Lord's Love, they laugh, and in the Lord's Love, they weep, and also keep silent.

They do not care for anything else, except their True Husband Lord.

Sitting, waiting at the Lord's Door, they beg for food, and when He gives to them, they eat.

There is only One Court of the Lord, and He has only one pen; there, you and I shall meet.

In the Court of the Lord, the accounts are examined; O Nanak, the sinners are crushed, like oil seeds in the press. ||2||

  • Pauree:

You Yourself created the creation; You Yourself infused Your power into it.

You behold Your creation, like the losing and winning dice of the earth.

Whoever has come, shall depart; all shall have their turn.


He who owns our soul, and our very breath of life - why should we forget that Lord and Master from our minds?

With our own hands, let us resolve our own affairs. ||20||

Part 6: Chant 21 - 24

  • Shalok, Second Mehl:

What sort of love is this, which clings to duality?

O Nanak, he alone is called a lover, who remains forever immersed in absorption.

But one who feels good only when good is done for him, and feels bad when things go badly

External links

Video

Audio


References

  • Excerpts taken from: A Book of Sikh Studies: Dr. Gobind Singh Mansukhani 1989
  • Teja Sirigh, Asa di Var. AMRITSAR, 1968
  • Vohra, Asha Nand, Asa ki Var. ROHTAK, 1969
  • Kohli, Surindar SINGH, Guru Nanak :Jivan, Darshan ate Kavi-Kala. Chandigarh, 1969
  • Vir Singh, Bhai, Sarithya Sri Guru GraritA Sahib. Amritsar, 1975
  • Sahib Sirigh, Satik Asa di Var. Amritsar, 1978
  • Sher Sirigh, Giani, Tika Asa di Var (3 parts). Rawalpindi, 1910-20


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