First Step:

Sing His praises

Slok Mahla 1

            Whenever a person is in pain or is unhappy, he prays and seeks shelter of Almighty and this becomes a medicine for him.  On the contrary when he is happily placed, even the thought of Almighty eludes him.  He is continuously engaged in sensual and other worldly pleasures.  This results into ailments and the person loses his enjoyments.

(Astonishingly,) sorrow,

 (becomes) medicine (for ailments,

and) enjoyment becomes,

 (cause of) suffering,

 (because) when (in) enjoyments,

 then (one) doesn’t (feel) need (of Almighty).

            Almighty is the prime mover of this creation.  All credit must therefore, be passed on to him.  Also all happenings must be happily accepted as His ordain:

(O Almighty), You, not me, (are the) Creator creating (everything),

If (I appropriate anything to) my doing, (then it) doesn’t behove (me). ll 1 ll

                One must live his life in total subjugation to Almighty:

(I) sacrifice (myself on You,

O,) Omnipresent (in whole) nature.

The Almighty is All-pervasive and for human beings it is impossible to estimate the totality of his expansion.

Your end-limit,

can’t be visualised. ll 1 ll Pause ll

This is the easiest way to overcome I’ness which is stated to be the greatest obstacle on the path of spirituality.

                This entire creation is the manifestation of Almighty Himself.

(Whole) Universe,

 contains (Your) light,

(and) in (that) light (is) apparent,

(O) All-Pervasive,

(Your presence) filled (to the) brim.

He must therefore, always be praised for all the bounties provided by Him:

You (are the) True Lord, whoever sings,

 (Your) beauteous praises, that (person) obtains salvation.

          One needs to live his life in reverence to Almighty.  All His actions must not only be accepted happily but also praised:

Nanak says, narrate (to me, the) Creator’s praises,

Who continuously does, whatever (is) worth doing. ll 2 ll

This is a function that would bring and retain an element of bliss in the mental disposition of a person.

*******

RAHRAAS Sahib: Ration of Life

   The collection of renderings of various Guru Sahibs commonly known as ‘Rahraas’ is the evening prayer for Sikhs.  ‘Rahraas’ literally means ‘ration for the way’ indicating thereby that, on the path of spirituality, this is the ration on which life must be lived.

   The renderings of various Guru Sahibs that constitute ‘Rahraas Sahib’ are a means for exploration of life’s objective.  Their import is of such spell-bounding proportions that one wonders whether the worldly life’s engagements that everybody is bogged down with, are worth the pain and labour involved therein.  A person needs to rise above all this and have a view of life from a point of totality.  It is better that one gets aware of this at the earliest, because coming to grips with this situation towards the end of life may be too late.

Stanza-wise translation and commentary will be carried on in this blog over a period of time.