Gems of Gurbani

Guru Granth Sahib

Sukhmani Sahib  39

Ashtapadi 16 continues:

The (God’s) Name sustains all creatures in this world, by His name the regions (continents) and the universe are sustained, the Vedas, puranas and smiritis are all sustained by His Name, by His name the knowledge and meditation are sustained, by His name the skies and the under worlds get their support, all the formations in this world are supported by His Name, by the support of His name all mansions (Bhavan – it is believed that there are three mansions to complete the universe and they are Skies (all spheres), earth and under earth world or Patal) are sustained. Men are emancipated by associating with the Name and hearing it with their ears. O Nanak, the merciful Lord when decides to merge the mortals into His Name the fourth stage (fourth stage of human life is believed to be of eternal bliss when a mortal is totally merged into Lord) of human life is obtained (pad 5).

True is His Form and True is His seat, His Person is so true that He alone can be Supreme (because all his features –form, seat and his personality are true), His acts and his word speaks through all the mortals because He is contained in all. His deeds are seen in His Creation and His Creation is the Truth. His foundation is the ultimate Truth so all that springs from Him is the Truth. Whatever He does is the purest of pure. Everything turns out well for a mortal who has understood His instructions. The True Name of the Lord gives peace and this faith Nanak has obtained from the True Guru (pad 6).

 True are the words and instructions of the Saints, true are the persons in whose hearts The Lord has entered and all those who have understood the truth and are in love with it get salvation by meditating on His Name. Lord Himself is the truth because all he has made is the truth (there is no illusion about His Creation and it is not mythology). He Himself knows his limits and extent. It is His Creation and it belongs to Him and none can understand all His extent and none can take care of it. None can estimate The Creator’s extent and measure O Nanak; He (God) does what pleases Him (pad 7).

I am amazed at all the wonders he can display and all those whom His wonders are revealed are the one who can enjoy them. All those who are absorbed in the love of Lord obtain the bliss of His Name. They themselves become the messenger of that love by spreading which all the pain vanishes and the mortals swim across the worldly ocean. He who associates with the servants of Lord is fortunate and in such a society he professes love for only one Universal Lord. Lord’s slave sings His excellence and praises and obtains His Grace O Nanak (pad 8).