Devotion to God: From Sikhism’s Holy Scripture – Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Part 2 of 2

“As Gurmukh, they are weighed and measured, in the balance and the scales of Truth. The enticements of hope and desire are quieted by the Guru, whose Word is True. He Himself weighs with the scale; perfect is the weighing of the Perfect One.

No one is saved by mere talk and speech, nor by reading loads of books. The body does not obtain purity without loving devotion to the Lord. O Nanak, never forget the Naam; the Guru shall unite us with the Creator.

Siree Raag, First Mehl: Meeting the Perfect True Guru, we find the jewel of meditative reflection. Surrendering our minds to our Guru, we find universal love. We find the wealth of liberation, and our demerits are erased. O Siblings of Destiny, without the Guru, there is no spiritual wisdom. Go and ask Brahma, Naarad and Vyaas, the writer of the Vedas.

Know that from the vibration of the Word, we obtain spiritual wisdom and meditation. Through it, we speak the Unspoken. He is the fruit-bearing Tree, luxuriantly green with abundant shade. The rubies, jewels and emeralds are in the Guru’s Treasury.

From the Guru’s Treasury, we receive the Love of the Immaculate Naam, the Name of the Lord. We gather in the True Merchandise, through the Perfect Grace of the Infinite. The True Guru is the Giver of peace, the Dispeller of pain, the Destroyer of demons. The terrifying world-ocean is difficult and dreadful; there is no shore on this side or the one beyond. There is no boat, no raft, no oars and no boatman. The True Guru is the only boat on this terrifying ocean. His Glance of Grace carries us across.

If I forget my Beloved, even for an instant, suffering overtakes me and peace departs. Let that tongue be burnt in flames, which does not chant the Naam with love. When the pitcher of the body bursts, there is terrible pain; those who are caught by the Minister of Death regret and repent. […]Without the Name, wealth is useless; deceived by wealth, they have lost their way. So serve the True Lord; become Gurmukh, and speak the Unspoken.

Coming and going, people wander through reincarnation; they act according to their past actions. How can one’s pre-ordained destiny be erased? It is written in accordance with the Lord’s Will. Without the Name of the Lord, no one can be saved. Through the Guru’s Teachings, we are united in His Union. […]”