- Guru Granth Sahib -

Rag Sri Raag

Hymns of the Saints

Hymn 1, The Word Of Devotee Beni
- Bhagat Beni -

Oh man, when you were coiled in the cradle of the womb, upside-down, you were absorbed in meditation. You took no pride in your perishable body; night and day were all the same to you-you lived unknowing, in the silence of the void. Remember the terrible pain and suffering of those days, now that you have spread out the net of your consciousness far and wide. Leaving the womb, you entered this mortal world; you have forgotten the Lord from your mind. ||1||

Later, you will regret and repent-you fool! Why are you engrossed in evil-mindedness and skepticism? Think of the Lord, or else you shall be led to the City of Death. Why are you wandering around, out of control? You play like a child, craving sweets; moment by moment, you become more entangled in emotional attachment. Tasting good and bad, you eat nectar and then poison, and then the five passions appear and torture you. Abandoning meditation, penance and self-restraint, and the wisdom of good actions, you do not worship and adore the Lord’s Name. You are overflowing with sexual desire, and your intellect is stained with darkness; you are held in the grip of Shakti’s power. ||2||

In the heat of youthful passion, you look with desire upon the faces of other men’s wives; you do not distinguish between good and evil. Drunk with sexual desire and other great sins, you go astray, and do not distinguish between vice and virtue. Gazing upon your children and your property, your mind is proud and arrogant; you cast out the Lord from your heart. When others die, you measure your own wealth in your mind; you waste your life in the pleasures of the mouth and sexual organs. ||3||

Your hair is whiter than the jasmine flower, and your voice has grown feeble, as if it comes from the seventh underworld. Your eyes water, and your intellect and strength have left you; but still, your sexual desire churns and drives you on. And so, your intellect has dried up through corruption, and the lotus flower of your body has wilted and withered. You have forsaken the Bani, the Word of the Immortal Lord, in this mortal world; in the end, you shall regret and repent. ||4||

Gazing upon the tiny bodies of your children, love has welled up within your heart; you are proud of them, but you do not understand. You long for the dignity of a long life, but your eyes can no longer see anything. Your light has gone out, and the bird of your mind has flown away; you are no longer welcome in your own home and courtyard. Says Baynee, listen, Oh devotee: who has ever attained liberation after such a death? ||5||

Ang 93

_______________

Footnote: