Raag Aasaa

You did not plant the seeds of good actions in the earth of your past lives. ||1||Pause|| From an infant, you have grown old. That which was to happen, has happened. When the Messenger of Death comes and grabs you by your hair, why do you cry out then? ||2|| Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 136 You hope for long life, while Death counts your breaths. The world is a game, O Kabeer, so throw the dice consciously. ||3||1||23|| Aasaa: I make my body the dying vat, and within it, I dye my mind. I make the five elements my marriage guests. I take my marriage vows with the Lord, my King; my soul is imbued with His Love. ||1|| Sing, sing, O brides of the Lord, the marriage songs of the Lord. The Lord, my King, has come to my house as my Husband. ||1||Pause|| Within the lotus of my heart, I have made my bridal pavilion, and I have spoken the wisdom of God. I have obtained the Lord King as my Husband - such is my great good fortune. ||2|| The angles, holy men, silent sages, and the 330,000,000 deities have come in their heavenly chariots to see this spectacle. Says Kabeer, I have been taken in marriage by the One Supreme Being, the Lord God. ||3||2||24|| Aasaa: I am bothered by my mother-in-law, Maya, and loved by my father-in-law, the Lord. I fear even the name of my husband's elder brother, Death. O my mates and companions, my husband's sister, misunderstanding has seized me, and I am burning with the pain of separation from my husband's younger brother, divine knowledge. ||1||

O my mates and companions, my husband's sister, misunderstanding has seized me, and I am burning with the pain of separation from my husband's younger brother, divine knowledge. ||1|| My mind has gone insane, since I forgot the Lord. How can I lead a virtuous lifestyle? He rests in the bed of my mind, but I cannot see Him with my eyes. Unto whom should I tell my sufferings? ||1||Pause|| My step-father, egotism, fights with me, and my mother, desire, is always intoxicated. When I stayed with my elder brother, meditation, then I was loved by my Husband Lord. ||2|| Says Kabeer, the five passions argue with me, and in these arguments, my life is wasting away. The false Maya has bound the whole world, but I have obtained peace, chanting the Name of the Lord. ||3||3||25|| Aasaa: In my house, I constantly weave the thread, while you wear the thread around your neck, O Brahmin. You read the Vedas and sacred hymns, while I have enshrined the Lord of the Universe in my heart. ||1|| Upon my tongue, within my eyes, and within my heart, abides the Lord, the Lord of the Universe. When you are interrogated at Death's door, O mad-man, what will you say then? ||1||Pause|| I am a cow, and You are the herdsman, the Sustainer of the World. You are my Saving Grace, lifetime after lifetime. You have never taken me across to graze there - what sort of a herdsman are You? ||2|| You are a Brahmin, and I am a weaver of Benares; can You understand my wisdom?

You are a Brahmin, and I am a weaver of Benares; can You understand my wisdom? You beg from emperors and kings, while I meditate on the Lord. ||3||4||26|| Aasaa: The life of the world is only a dream; life is just a dream. Believing it to be true, I grasped at it, and abandoned the supreme treasure. ||1|| O Father, I have enshrined love and affection for Maya, which has taken the jewel of spiritual wisdom away from me. ||1||Pause|| The moth sees with its eyes, but it still becomes entangled; the insect does not see the fire. Attached to gold and woman, the fool does not think of the noose of Death. ||2|| Reflect upon this, and abandon sin; the Lord is a boat to carry you across. Says Kabeer, such is the Lord, the Life of the World; there is no one equal to Him. ||3||5||27|| Aasaa: Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 137 In the past, I have taken many forms, but I shall not take form again. The strings and wires of the musical instrument are worn out, and I am in the power of the Lord's Name. ||1|| Now, I no longer dance to the tune. My mind no longer beats the drum. ||1||Pause|| I have burnt away sexual desire, anger and attachment to Maya, and the pitcher of my desires has burst. The gown of sensuous pleasures is worn out, and all my doubts have been dispelled. ||2|| I look upon all beings alike, and my conflict and strife are ended. Says Kabeer, when the Lord showed His Favor, I obtained Him, the Perfect One. ||3||6||28||

Says Kabeer, when the Lord showed His Favor, I obtained Him, the Perfect One. ||3||6||28|| Aasaa: You keep your fasts to please Allah, while you murder other beings for pleasure. You look after your own interests, and so not see the interests of others. What good is your word? ||1|| O Qazi, the One Lord is within you, but you do not behold Him by thought or contemplation. You do not care for others, you are a religious fanatic, and your life is of no account at all. ||1||Pause|| Your holy scriptures say that Allah is True, and that he is neither male nor female. But you gain nothing by reading and studying, O mad-man, if you do not gain the understanding in your heart. ||2|| Allah is hidden in every heart; reflect upon this in your mind. The One Lord is within both Hindu and Muslim; Kabeer proclaims this out loud. ||3||7||29|| Aasaa, Ti-Pada, Ik-Tuka: I have decorated myself to meet my Husband Lord. But the Lord, the Life of the Word, the Sustainer of the Universe, has not come to meet me. ||1|| The Lord is my Husband, and I am the Lord's bride. The Lord is so great, and I am infinitesimally small. ||1||Pause|| The bride and the Groom dwell together. They lie upon the one bed, but their union is difficult. ||2|| Blessed is the soul-bride, who is pleasing to her Husband Lord. Says Kabeer, she shall not have to be reincarnated again. ||3||8||30|| Aasaa Of Kabeer Jee, Du-Padas: One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: When the Diamond of the Lord pierces the diamond of my mind, the fickle mind waving in the wind is easily absorbed into Him. This Diamond fills all with Divine Light; through the True Guru's Teachings, I have found Him. ||1|| The sermon of the Lord is the unstruck, endless song. Becoming a swan, one recognizes the Diamond of the Lord. ||1||Pause|| Says Kabeer, I have seen such a Diamond, permeating and pervading the world. The hidden diamond became visible, when the Guru revealed it to me. ||2||1||31|| Aasaa: My first wife, ignorance, was ugly, of low social status and bad character; she was evil in my home, and in her parents' home. My present bride, divine understanding, is beautiful, wise and well-behaved; I have taken her to my heart. ||1|| It has turned out so well, that my first wife has died. May she, whom I have now married, live throughout the ages. ||1||Pause|| Says Kabeer, when the younger bride came, the elder one lost her husband. The younger bride is with me now, and the elder one has taken another husband. ||2||2||32|| Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 138 Aasaa: My daughter-in-law was first called Dhannia, the woman of wealth, but now she is called Raam-jannia, the servant of the Lord. ||1|| These shaven-headed saints have ruined my house. They have caused my son to start chanting the Lord's Name. ||1||Pause||

They have caused my son to start chanting the Lord's Name. ||1||Pause|| Says Kabeer, listen, O mother: these shaven-headed saints have done away with my low social status. ||2||3||33|| Aasaa: Stay, stay, O daughter-in-law - do not cover your face with a veil. In the end, this shall not bring you even half a shell. ||1||Pause|| The one before you used to veil her face; do not follow in her footsteps. ||1|| The only merit in veiling your face is that for a few days, people will say, "What a noble bride has come". ||2|| Your veil shall be true only if you skip, dance and sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||3|| Says Kabeer, the soul-bride shall win, only if she passes her life singing the Lord's Praises. ||4||1||34|| Aasaa: I would rather be cut apart by a saw, than have You turn Your back on me. Hug me close, and listen to my prayer. ||1|| I am a sacrifice to You - please, turn Your face to me, O Beloved Lord. Why have You turned Your back to me? Why have You killed me? ||1||Pause|| Even if You cut my body apart, I shall not pull my limbs away from You. Even if my body falls, I shall not break my bonds of love with You. ||2|| Between You and I, there is no other. You are the Husband Lord, and I am the soul-bride. ||3|| Says Kabeer, listen, O people: now, I place no reliance in you. ||4||2||35|| Aasaa: No one knows the secret of God, the Cosmic Weaver. He has stretched out the fabric of the whole world. ||1||Pause||

He has stretched out the fabric of the whole world. ||1||Pause|| When you listen to the Vedas and the Puraanas, you shall know that the whole world is only a small piece of His woven fabric. ||1|| He has made the earth and sky His loom. Upon it, He moves the two bobbins of the sun and the moon. ||2|| Placing my feet together, I have accomplished one thing - my mind is pleased with that Weaver. I have come to understand my own home, and recognize the Lord within my heart. ||3|| Says Kabeer, when my body workshop breaks, the Weaver shall blend my thread with His thread. ||4||3||36|| Aasaa: With filth within the heart, even if one bathes at sacred places of pilgrimage, still, he shall not go to heaven. Nothing is gained by trying to please others - the Lord cannot be fooled. ||1|| Worship the One Divine Lord. The true cleansing bath is service to the Guru. ||1||Pause|| If salvation can be obtained by bathing in water, then what about the frog, which is always bathing in water? As is the frog, so is that mortal; he is reincarnated, over and over again. ||2|| If the hard-hearted sinner dies in Benaares, he cannot escape hell. And even if the Lord's Saint dies in the cursed land of Haramba, still, he saves all his family. ||3|| Where there is neither day nor night, and neither Vedas nor Shaastras, there, the Formless Lord abides. Says Kabeer, meditate on Him, O mad-men of the world. ||4||4||37||

Says Kabeer, meditate on Him, O mad-men of the world. ||4||4||37|| Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 139 One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: Aasaa, The Word Of The Reverend Naam Dayv Jee: In the one and in the many, He is pervading and permeating; wherever I look, there He is. The marvellous image of Maya is so fascinating; how few understand this. ||1|| God is everything, God is everything. Without God, there is nothing at all. As one thread holds hundreds and thousands of beads, He is woven into His creation. ||1||Pause|| The waves of the water, the foam and bubbles, are not distinct from the water. This manifested world is the playful game of the Supreme Lord God; reflecting upon it, we find that it is not different from Him. ||2|| False doubts and dream objects - man believes them to be true. The Guru has instructed me to try to do good deeds, and my awakened mind has accepted this. ||3|| Says Naam Dayv, see the Creation of the Lord, and reflect upon it in your heart. In each and every heart, and deep within the very nucleus of all, is the One Lord. ||4||1|| Aasaa: Bringing the pitcher, I fill it with water, to bathe the Lord. But 4.2 million species of beings are in the water - how can I use it for the Lord, O Siblings of Destiny? ||1|| Wherever I go, the Lord is there. He continually plays in supreme bliss. ||1||Pause|| I bring flowers to weave a garland, in worshipful adoration of the Lord.

I bring flowers to weave a garland, in worshipful adoration of the Lord. But the bumble bee has already sucked out the fragrance - how can I use it for the Lord, O Siblings of Destiny? ||2|| I carry milk and cook it to make pudding, with which to feed the Lord. But the calf has already tasted the milk - how can I use it for the Lord, O Siblings of Destiny? ||3|| The Lord is here, the Lord is there; without the Lord, there is no world at all. Prays Naam Dayv, O Lord, You are totally permeating and pervading all places and interspaces. ||4||2|| Aasaa: My mind is the yardstick, and my tongue is the scissors. I measure it out and cut off the noose of death. ||1|| What do I have to do with social status? What do I have to with ancestry? I meditate on the Name of the Lord, day and night. ||1||Pause|| I dye myself in the color of the Lord, and sew what has to be sewn. Without the Lord's Name, I cannot live, even for a moment. ||2|| I perform devotional worship, and sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. Twenty-four hours a day, I meditate on my Lord and Master. ||3|| My needle is gold, and my thread is silver. Naam Dayv's mind is attached to the Lord. ||4||3|| Aasaa: The snake sheds its skin, but does not lose its venom. The heron appears to be meditating, but it is concentrating on the water. ||1|| Why do you practice meditation and chanting, when your mind is not pure? ||1||Pause||

when your mind is not pure? ||1||Pause|| That man who feeds like a lion, is called the god of thieves. ||2|| Naam Dayv's Lord and Master has settled my inner conflicts. Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 140 Drink in the sublime elixir of the Lord, O deceitful one. ||3||4|| Aasaa: One who recognizes the Supreme Lord God, dislikes other desires. He focuses his consciousness on the Lord's devotional worship, and keeps his mind free of anxiety. ||1|| O my mind, how will you cross over the world-ocean, if you are filled with the water of corruption? Gazing upon the falseness of Maya, you have gone astray, O my mind. ||1||Pause|| You have given me birth in the house of a calico-printer, but I have found the Teachings of the Guru. By the Grace of the Saint, Naam Dayv has met the Lord. ||2||5|| Aasaa, The Word Of The Reverend Ravi Daas Jee: One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: The deer, the fish, the bumble bee, the moth and the elephant are destroyed, each for a single defect. So the one who is filled with the five incurable vices - what hope is there for him? ||1|| O Lord, he is in love with ignorance. His lamp of clear wisdom has grown dim. ||1||Pause|| The creeping creatures live thoughtless lives, and cannot discriminate between good and evil. It is so difficult to obtain this human incarnation, and yet, they keep company with the low. ||2|| Wherever the beings and creatures are, they are born according to the karma of their past actions.

Wherever the beings and creatures are, they are born according to the karma of their past actions. The noose of death is unforgiving, and it shall catch them; it cannot be warded off. ||3|| O servant Ravi Daas, dispel your sorrow and doubt, and know that Guru-given spiritual wisdom is the penance of penances. O Lord, Destroyer of the fears of Your humble devotees, make me supremely blissful in the end. ||4||1|| Aasaa: Your Saints are Your body, and their company is Your breath of life. By the True Guru-given spiritual wisdom, I know the Saints as the gods of gods. ||1|| O Lord, God of gods, grant me the Society of the Saints, the sublime essence of the Saints' conversation, and the Love of the Saints. ||1||Pause|| The Character of the Saints, the lifestyle of the Saints, and the service of the servant of the Saints. ||2|| I ask for these, and for one thing more - devotional worship, which shall fulfill my desires. Do not show me the wicked sinners. ||3|| Says Ravi Daas, he alone is wise, who knows this: there is no difference between the Saints and the Infinite Lord. ||4||2|| Aasaa: You are sandalwood, and I am the poor castor oil plant, dwelling close to you. From a lowly tree, I have become exalted; Your fragrance, Your exquisite fragrance now permeates me. ||1|| O Lord, I seek the Sanctuary of the company of Your Saints; I am worthless, and You are so benevolent. ||1||Pause||

I am worthless, and You are so benevolent. ||1||Pause|| You are the white and yellow threads of silk, and I am like a poor worm. O Lord, I seek to live in the Company of the Saints, like the bee with its honey. ||2|| My social status is low, my ancestry is low, and my birth is low as well. I have not performed the service of the Lord, the Lord, says Ravi Daas the cobbler. ||3||3|| Aasaa: What would it matter, if my body were cut into pieces? If I were to lose Your Love, Lord, then Your humble servant would be afraid. ||1|| Your lotus feet are the home of my mind. Drinking in Your Nectar, I have obtained the wealth of the Lord. ||1||Pause|| Prosperity, adversity, property and wealth are just Maya. Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 141 Your humble servant is not engrossed in them. ||2|| Your humble servant is tied by the rope of Your Love. Says Ravi Daas, what benefit would I get by escaping from it? ||3||4|| Aasaa: The Lord, Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Har, Haray. Meditating on the Lord, the humble are carried across to salvation. ||1||Pause|| Through the Lord's Name, Kabeer became famous and respected. The accounts of his past incarnations were torn up. ||1|| Because of Naam Dayv's devotion, the Lord drank the milk he offered. He shall not have to suffer the pains of reincarnation into the world again. ||2|| Servant Ravi Daas is imbued with the Lord's Love. By Guru's Grace, he shall not have to go to hell. ||3||5||

By Guru's Grace, he shall not have to go to hell. ||3||5|| How does the puppet of clay dance? He looks and listens, hears and speaks, and runs around. ||1||Pause|| When he acquires something, he is inflated with ego. But when his wealth is gone, then he cries and bewails. ||1|| In thought, word and deed, he is attached to the sweet and tangy flavors. When he dies, no one knows where he has gone. ||2|| Says Ravi Daas, the world is just a dramatic play, O Siblings of Destiny. I have enshrined love for the Lord, the star of the show. ||3||6|| Aasaa, The Word Of Devotee Dhanna Jee: One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: I wandered through countless incarnations, but mind, body and wealth never remain stable. Attached to, and stained by the poisons of sexual desire and greed, the mind has forgotten the jewel of the Lord. ||1||Pause|| The poisonous fruit seems sweet to the demented mind, which does not know the difference between good and evil. Turning away from virtue, his love for other things increases, and he weaves again the web of birth and death. ||1|| He does not know the way to the Lord, who dwells within his heart; burning in the trap, he is caught by the noose of death. Gathering the poisonous fruits, he fills his mind with them, and he forgets God, the Supreme Being, from his mind. ||2|| The Guru has given the wealth of spiritual wisdom; practicing meditation, the mind becomes one with Him.

The Guru has given the wealth of spiritual wisdom; practicing meditation, the mind becomes one with Him. Embracing loving devotional worship for the Lord, I have come to know peace; satisfied and satiated, I have been liberated. ||3|| One who is filled with the Divine Light, recognizes the undeceivable Lord God. Dhanna has obtained the Lord, the Sustainer of the World, as his wealth; meeting the humble Saints, he merges in the Lord. ||4||1|| Fifth Mehl: Naam Dayv's mind was absorbed into God, Gobind, Gobind, Gobind. The calico-printer, worth half a shell, became worth millions. ||1||Pause|| Abandoning weaving and stretching thread, Kabeer enshrined love for the Lord's lotus feet. A weaver from a lowly family, he became an ocean of excellence. ||1|| Ravi Daas, who used to carry dead cows every day, renounced the world of Maya. He became famous in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and obtained the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan. ||2|| Sain, the barber, the village drudge, became famous in each and every house. The Supreme Lord God dwelled in his heart, and he was counted among the devotees. ||3|| Section 08 - Raag Aasaa - Part 142 Hearing this, Dhanna the Jaat applied himself to devotional worship. The Lord of the Universe met him personally; Dhanna was so very blessed. ||4||2|| O my consciousness, why don't you remain conscious of the Merciful Lord? How can you recognize any other?

O my consciousness, why don't you remain conscious of the Merciful Lord? How can you recognize any other? You may run around the whole universe, but that alone happens which the Creator Lord does. ||1||Pause|| In the water of the mother's womb, He fashioned the body with ten gates. He gives it sustenance, and preserves it in fire - such is my Lord and Master. ||1|| The mother turtle is in the water, and her babies are out of the water. She has no wings to protect them, and no milk to feed them. The Perfect Lord, the embodiment of supreme bliss, the Fascinating Lord takes care of them. See this, and understand it in your mind||2|| The worm lies hidden under the stone - there is no way for him to escape. Says Dhanna, the Perfect Lord takes care of him. Fear not, O my soul. ||3||3|| Aasaa, The Word Of Shaykh Fareed Jee: One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: They alone are true, whose love for God is deep and heart-felt. Those who have one thing in their heart, and something else in their mouth, are judged to be false. ||1|| Those who are imbued with love for the Lord, are delighted by His Vision. Those who forget the Naam, the Name of the Lord, are a burden on the earth. ||1||Pause|| Those whom the Lord attaches to the hem of His robe, are the true dervishes at His Door. Blessed are the mothers who gave birth to them, and fruitful is their coming into the world. ||2||

Blessed are the mothers who gave birth to them, and fruitful is their coming into the world. ||2|| O Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher, You are infinite, unfathomable and endless. Those who recognize the True Lord - I kiss their feet. ||3|| I seek Your Protection - You are the Forgiving Lord. Please, bless Shaykh Fareed with the bounty of Your meditative worship. ||4||1|| Aasaa: Says Shaykh Fareed, O my dear friend, attach yourself to the Lord. This body shall turn to dust, and its home shall be a neglected graveyard. ||1|| You can meet the Lord today, O Shaykh Fareed, if you restrain your bird-like desires which keep your mind in turmoil. ||1||Pause|| If I had known that I was to die, and not return again, I would not have ruined myself by clinging to the world of falsehood. ||2|| So speak the Truth, in righteousness, and do not speak falsehood. The disciple ought to travel the route, pointed out by the Guru. ||3|| Seeing the youths being carried across, the hearts of the beautiful young soul-brides are encouraged. Those who side with the glitter of gold, are cut down with a saw. ||4|| O Shaykh, no one's life is permanent in this world. That seat, upon which we now sit - many others sat on it and have since departed. ||5|| As the swallows appear in the month of Katik, forest fires in the month of Chayt, and lightning in Saawan, and as the bride's arms adorn her husband's neck in winter;||6||

Just so, the transitory human bodies pass away. Reflect upon this in your mind. It takes six months to form the body, but it breaks in an instant. ||7|| O Fareed, the earth asks the sky, "Where have the boatmen gone?" Some have been cremated, and some lie in their graves; their souls are suffering rebukes. ||8||2||