70
They waste their lives uselessly; they die and are reincarnated over and over again. ॥5॥ Seeing this
world on fire, I rushed to the Sanctuary of the True Guru. The True Guru has implanted the Truth
within me; I dwell steadfastly in Truth and self-restraint. The True Guru is the Boat of Truth; in the
Word of the Shabad, we cross over the terrifying world-ocean. ॥6॥ People continue wandering
through the cycle of 8.4 million incarnations; without the True Guru, liberation is not obtained.
Reading and studying, the Pandits and the silent sages have grown weary, but attached to the love of
duality, they have lost their honor. The True Guru teaches the Word of the Shabad; without the True
One, there is no other at all. ॥7॥ Those who are linked by the True One are linked to Truth. They
always act in Truth. They attain their dwelling in the home of their own inner being, and they abide
in the Mansion of Truth. O Nanak, the devotees are happy and peaceful forever. They are absorbed in
the True Name. ॥8॥17॥8॥25॥ SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: When you are confronted with terrible
hardships, and no one offers you any support, when your friends turn into enemies, and even your
relatives have deserted you, and when all support has given way, and all hope has been lost—if you
then come to remember the Supreme Lord God, even the hot wind shall not touch you. ॥1॥ Our Lord
and Master is the Power of the powerless. He does not come or go; He is Eternal and Permanent.
Through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, He is known as True. ॥1॥ Pause॥ If you are weakened by
the pains of hunger and poverty, with no money in your pockets, and no one will give you any
comfort, and no one will satisfy your hopes and desires, and none of your works is accomplished—if
you then come to remember the Supreme Lord God, you shall obtain the eternal kingdom. ॥2॥ When
you are plagued by great and excessive anxiety, and diseases of the body; when you are wrapped up
in the attachments of household and family, sometimes feeling joy, and then other times sorrow;
when you are wandering around in all four directions, and you cannot sit or sleep even for a
moment—if you come to remember the Supreme Lord God, then your body and mind shall be cooled
and soothed. ॥3॥ When you are under the power of sexual desire, anger and worldly attachment, or a
greedy miser in love with your wealth; if you have committed the four great sins and other mistakes;
even if you are a murderous fiend who has never taken the time to listen to sacred books, hymns and
poetry—if you then come to remember the Supreme Lord God, and contemplate Him, even for a
moment, you shall be saved. ॥4॥ People may recite by heart the Shaastras, the Simritees and the four
Vedas; they may be ascetics, great, self-disciplined Yogis; they may visit sacred shrines of
pilgrimage and perform the six ceremonial rituals, over and over again, performing worship services
and ritual bathings. Even so, if they have not embraced love for the Supreme Lord God, then they
shall surely go to hell. ॥5॥ You may possess empires, vast estates, authority over others, and the
enjoyment of myriads of pleasures; you may have delightful and beautiful gardens, and issue
unquestioned commands; you may have enjoyments and entertainments of all sorts and kinds, and
continue to enjoy exciting pleasures—and yet, if you do not come to remember the Supreme Lord
God, you shall be reincarnated as a snake. ॥6॥ You may possess vast riches, maintain virtuous
conduct, have a spotless reputation and observe religious customs; you may have the loving
affections of mother, father, children, siblings and friends;