Gems of Gurbani

Guru Granth Sahib

Sukhmani Sahib – 25

The Timeless Being (Akal Purakh) is praised by all living creatures on this earth because he exists everywhere and gives life to everyone (Astapadi; 10, 11).

Shlok: All type of people praise the Lord, Who is without an end and without a limit and so has The Master created his Creation in many ways and variety.

(Guru Nanak’s concept of God says that one can spend all life to see an end or ultimate limit of His Creation but it is difficult to fathom the expanse of His Creation – no one has been ever successful in knowing the truth of sun, star, moon, planets, continents, and variety of life on this earth. He, The Lord alone knows about His Expanse, and how to handle it.)

Ashtapadi 10 begins: Many a million are His worshippers, many a million are priests who perform various religious rites and worldly deeds, many a million become residents of pilgrim places (there is Hindu belief that once you get old you should become resident of a pilgrim place so that after death one can directly go to heaven as these places are believed to be the abode of God on earth), many a million wander in the forests or wilderness, many a million listen to the recitation of Vedas, many a million become ascetics, many a million have enshrined Lord in their heart by meditation, many a million become poets and write poetry to deliberate over Him, many a million are thinking of ever new Names to describe Him. After all this deliberations O Nanak His limits cannot be known (pad 1).

Countless have become self-conceited or ego ridden, countless are misers and stone hearted, countless are blindly ignorant, countless are rude and insusceptible at heart, countless are stealing other people’s wealth, countless are who slander others, countless are who indulge only in wealth creation, countless wander into foreign lands. O Lord to whatever you attaches the mortals to do they are doing that. Nanak, The Creator alone knows what He is creating (pad 2).