Sunday, 4 January 2009

Translation of the Shabad which is sang at Sikh Funerals


Raag Wadahans, First Mehla, Fifth House, Alaahanees ~ Songs Of Mourning:

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: Blessed is the Creator, the True King, who has linked the whole world to its tasks.

When one's time is up, and the measure is full, this dear soul is caught, and driven off. This dear soul is driven off, when the pre-ordained Order is received, and all the relatives cry out in mourning.

The body and the swan-soul are separated, when one's days are past and done, O my mother. As is one's pre-ordained Destiny, so does one receive, according to one's past actions.

Blessed is the Creator, the True King, who has linked the whole world to its tasks. ||1|| Meditate in remembrance on the Lord and Master, O my Siblings of Destiny; everyone has to pass this way.

These false entanglements last for only a few days; then, one must surely move on to the world hereafter. He must surely move on to the world hereafter, like a guest; so why does he indulge in ego?

Chant the Name of the Lord; serving Him, you shall obtain peace in His Court. In the world hereafter, no one's commands will be obeyed. According to their actions, each and every person proceeds.

Meditate in remembrance on the Lord and Master, O my Siblings of Destiny; everyone has to pass this way. ||2|| Whatever pleases the Almighty Lord, that alone comes to pass; this world is an opportunity to please Him.

The True Creator Lord is pervading and permeating the water, the land and the air. The True Creator Lord is invisible and infinite; His limits cannot be found.

Fruitful is the coming of those, who meditate single-mindedly on Him. He destroys, and having destroyed, He creates; by His Order, He adorns us.

Whatever pleases the Almighty Lord that alone comes to pass; this world is an opportunity to please Him. ||3|| Nanak: he alone truly weeps, O Baba, who weeps in the Lord's Love.

One who weeps for the sake of worldly objects, O Baba, weeps totally in vain. This weeping is all in vain; the world forgets the Lord, and weeps for the sake of Maya.

He does not distinguish between good and evil, and wastes away this life in vain. Everyone who comes here, shall have to leave; to act in ego is false. Nanak: he alone truly weeps, O Baba, who weeps in the Lord's Love. ||4||1||

Wadahans, First Mehla:
Come, O my companions - let us meet together and dwell upon the True Name. Let us weep over the body's separation from the Lord and Master; let us remember Him in contemplation.

Let us remember the Lord and Master in contemplation, and keep a watchful eye on the Path. We shall have to go there as well.
He who has created, also destroys; whatever happens is by His Will.

Whatever He has done, has come to pass; how can we command Him? Come, O my companions - let us meet together and dwell upon the True Name. ||1||

Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truly die. Serve your Almighty Lord and Master, and your path in the world hereafter will be easy.

Take this easy path, and you shall obtain the fruits of your rewards, and receive honor in the world hereafter. Go there with your offering, and you shall merge in the True Lord; your honor shall be confirmed.

You shall obtain a place in the Mansion of the Lord Master's Presence; being pleasing to Him, you shall enjoy the pleasures of His Love. Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truly die. ||2||

The death of brave heroes is blessed, if it is approved by God. They alone are acclaimed as brave warriors in the world hereafter, who receive true honor in the Court of the Lord.

They are honored in the Court of the Lord; they depart with honor, and they do not suffer pain in the world hereafter. They meditate on the One Lord, and obtain the fruits of their rewards. Serving the Lord, their fear is dispelled.

Do not indulge in egotism, and dwell within your own mind; the Knower Himself knows everything. The death of brave heroes is blessed, if it is approved by God. ||3||

Nanak: for whom should we mourn, O Baba? This world is merely a play. The Lord Master beholds His work, and contemplates His creative potency.

He contemplates His creative potency, having established the Universe. He who created it, He alone knows. He Himself beholds it, and He Himself understands it. He Himself realizes the Hukam of His Command.

He who created these things, He alone knows. His subtle form is infinite. Nanak: for whom should we mourn, O Baba? This world is merely a play. ||4||2||

Wadahans, First Mehla, Dakhanee:

The True Creator Lord is True - know this well; He is the True Sustainer. He Himself fashioned His Own Self; the True Lord is invisible and infinite.

He brought together, and then separated, the two grinding stones of the earth and the sky; without the Guru, there is only pitch darkness. He created the sun and the moon; night and day, they move according to His Thought. ||1||

O True Lord and Master, You are True. O True Lord, bless me with Your Love. ||Pause|| You created the Universe; You are the Giver of pain and pleasure.

You created woman and man, the love of poison, and emotional attachment to Maya. The four sources of creation, and the power of the Word, are also of Your making. You give Support to all beings.

You have made the Creation as Your Throne; You are the True Judge. ||2|| You created comings and goings, but You are ever-stable, O Creator Lord.

In birth and death, in coming and going, this soul is held in bondage by corruption. The evil person has forgotten the Naam; he has drowned - what can he do now?

Forsaking merit, he has loaded the poisonous cargo of demerits; he is a trader of sins. ||3|| The beloved soul has received the Call, the Command of the True Creator Lord.

The soul, the husband, has become separated from the body, the bride. The Lord is the Re-uniter of the separated ones. No one cares for your beauty, O beautiful bride.; the Messenger of Death is bound only by the Lord Commander's Command.

He does not distinguish between young children and old people; he tears apart love and affection. ||4|| The nine doors are closed by the True Lord's Command, and the swan-soul takes flight into the skies.

The body-bride is separated, and defrauded by falsehood; she is now a widow - her husband's body lies dead in the courtyard.
The widow cries out at the door, ""The light of my mind has gone out, O my mother, with his death.""

So cry out, O soul-brides of the Husband Lord, and dwell on the Glorious Praises of the True Lord. ||5|| Her loved one is cleansed, bathed in water, and dressed in silken robes.

The musicians play, and the Bani of the True Lord's Words are sung; the five relatives feel as if they too are dead, so deadened are their minds. "Separation from my beloved is like death to me!" cries the widow. "My life in this world is cursed and worthless!"

But she alone is approved, who dies, while yet still alive; she lives for the sake of the Love of her Beloved. ||6|| So cry out in mourning, you who have come to mourn; this world is false and fraudulent. I too have been defrauded, chasing after worldly entanglements; my Husband Lord has forsaken me - I practice the evil deeds of a wife without a spouse.

In each and every home, are the brides of the Husband Lord; they gaze upon their Handsome Lord with love and affection.
I sing the Praises of my True Husband Lord, and through the Naam, the Name of my Husband Lord, I blossom forth. ||7||

Meeting with the Guru, the soul-bride's dress is transformed, and she is adorned with Truth. Come and meet with me, O brides of the Lord; let's meditate in remembrance on the Creator Lord. Through the Naam, the soul-bride becomes the Lord's favorite; she is adorned with Truth. Do not sing the songs of separation, O Nanak; reflect upon God. ||8||3||

Wadahans, First Mehla:

The One who creates and dissolves the world - that Lord and Master alone knows His creative power. Do not search for the True Lord far away; recognize the Word of the Shabad in each and every heart.

Recognize the Shabad, and do not think that the Lord is far away; He created this creation. Meditating on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, one obtains peace; without the Naam, he plays a losing game.

The One who established the Universe, He alone knows the Way; what can anyone say? The One who established the world cast the net of Maya over it; accept Him as your Lord and Master. ||1||

O Baba, he has come, and now he must get up and depart; this world is only a way-station. Upon each and every head, the True Lord writes their destiny of pain and pleasure, according to their past actions.

He bestows pain and pleasure, according to the deeds done; the record of these deeds stays with the soul. He does those deeds which the Creator Lord causes him to do; he attempts no other actions.

The Lord Himself is detached, while the world is entangled in conflict; by His Command, He emancipates it. He may put this off today, but tomorrow he is seized by death; in love with duality, he practices corruption. ||2||

The path of death is dark and dismal; the way cannot be seen. There is no water, no quilt or mattress, and no food there.

He receives no food there, no honor or water, no clothes or decorations. The chain is put around his neck, and the Messenger of Death standing over his head strikes him; he cannot see the door of his home.

The seeds planted on this path do not sprout; bearing the weight of his sins upon his head, he regrets and repents. Without the True Lord, no one is his friend; reflect upon this as true. ||3||

O Baba, they alone are known to truly weep and wail, who meet together and weep, chanting the Praises of the Lord. Defrauded by Maya and worldly affairs, the weepers weep.

They weep for the sake of worldly affairs, and they do not wash off their own filth; the world is merely a dream. Like the juggler, deceiving by his tricks, one is deluded by egotism, falsehood and illusion.

The Lord Himself reveals the Path; He Himself is the Doer of deeds. Those who are imbued with the Naam, are protected by the Perfect Guru, O Nanak; they merge in celestial bliss. ||4||4||

Wadahans, First Mehla:

O Baba, whoever has come, will rise up and leave; this world is merely a false show. One's true home is obtained by serving the True Lord; real Truth is obtained by being truthful.

By falsehood and greed, no place of rest is found, and no place in the world hereafter is obtained. No one invites him to come in and sit down. He is like a crow in a deserted home.

Trapped by birth and death, he is separated from the Lord for such a long time; the whole world is wasting away. Greed, worldly entanglements and Maya deceive the world. Death hovers over its head, and causes it to weep. ||1||

Come, O Baba, and Siblings of Destiny - let's join together; take me in your arms, and bless me with your prayers. O Baba, union with the True Lord cannot be broken; bless me with your prayers for union with my Beloved.

Bless me with your prayers, that I may perform devotional worship service to my Lord; for those already united with Him, what is there to unite?

Some have wandered away from the Name of the Lord, and lost the Path. The Word of the Guru's Shabad is the true game. Do not go on Death's path; remain merged in the Word of the Shabad, the true form throughout the ages.

Through good fortune, we meet such friends and relatives, who meet with the Guru, and escape the noose of Death. ||2|| O Baba, we come into the world naked, into pain and pleasure, according to the record of our account.

The call of our pre-ordained destiny cannot be altered; it follows from our past actions. The True Lord sits and writes of ambrosial nectar, and bitter poison; as the Lord attaches us, so are we attached.

The Charmer, Maya, has worked her charms, and the multi-colored thread is around everyone's neck. Through shallow intellect, the mind becomes shallow, and one eats the fly, along with the sweets.

Contrary to custom, he comes into the Dark Age of Kali Yuga naked, and naked he is bound down and sent away again. ||3||
O Baba, weep and mourn if you must; the beloved soul is bound and driven off.

The pre-ordained record of destiny cannot be erased; the summons has come from the Lord's Court. The messenger comes, when it pleases the Lord, and the mourners begin to mourn.

Sons, brothers, nephews and very dear friends weep and wail. Let him weep, who weeps in the Fear of God, cherishing the virtues of God. No one dies with the dead.

O Nanak, throughout the ages, they are known as wise, who weep, remembering the True Lord. ||4||5||