Daily Hukamnama from Harimandir Sahib (Amritsar)

RAAG SORAT’H, THE WORD OF DEVOTEE RAVI DAAS JEE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: I obtained this precious human life as a reward for my past actions, but without discriminating wisdom, it is wasted in vain. Tell me, without devotional worship of the Lord, of what use are mansions and thrones like those of King Indra? || 1 || You have not considered the sublime essence of the Name of the Lord, our King; this sublime essence shall cause you to forget all other essences. || 1 || Pause || We do not know what we need to know, and we have become insane. We do not consider what we should consider; our days are passing away. Our passions are strong, and our discriminating intellect is weak; we have no access to the supreme objective. || 2 || We say one thing, and do something else; entangled in endless Maya, we do not understand anything. Says Ravi Daas, Your slave, O Lord, I am disillusioned and detached; please, spare me Your anger, and have mercy on my soul. || 3 || 3 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

DHANAASAREE, FIFTH MEHL: The desires of the greatest of the great kings and landlords cannot be satisfied. They remain engrossed in Maya, intoxicated with the pleasures of their wealth; their eyes see nothing else at all. || 1 || No one has ever found satisfaction in sin and corruption. The flame is not satisfied by more fuel; how can one be satisfied without the Lord? || Pause || Day after day, he eats his meals with many different foods, but his hunger is not eradicated. He runs around like a dog, searching in the four directions. || 2 || The lustful, lecherous man desires many women, and he never stops peeking into the homes of others. Day after day, he commits adultery again and again, and then he regrets his actions; he wastes away in misery and greed. || 3 || The Name of the Lord, Har, Har, is incomparable and priceless; it is the treasure of Ambrosial Nectar. The Saints abide in peace, poise and bliss; O Nanak, through the Guru, this is known. || 4 || 6 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

SHALOK, THIRD MEHL: He acts according to pre-ordained destiny, written by the Creator Himself. Emotional attachment has drugged him, and he has forgotten the Lord, the treasure of virtue. Don’t think that he is alive in the world — he is dead, through the love of duality. Those who do not meditate on the Lord, as Gurmukh, are not permitted to sit near the Lord. They suffer the most horrible pain and suffering, and neither their sons nor their wives go along with them. Their faces are blackened among men, and they sigh in deep regret. No one places any reliance in the self-willed manmukhs; trust in them is lost. O Nanak, the Gurmukhs live in absolute peace; the Naam, the Name of the Lord, abides within them. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: They alone are relatives, and they alone are friends, who, as Gurmukh, join together in love. Night and day, they act according to the True Guru’s Will; they remain absorbed in the True Name. Those who are attached to the love of duality are not called friends; they practice egotism and corruption. The self-willed manmukhs are selfish; they cannot resolve anyone’s affairs. O Nanak, they act according to their pre-ordained destiny; no one can erase it. || 2 || PAUREE: You Yourself created the world, and You Yourself arranged the play of it. You Yourself created the three qualities, and fostered emotional attachment to Maya. He is called to account for his deeds done in egotism; he continues coming and going in reincarnation. The Guru instructs those whom the Lord Himself blesses with Grace. I am a sacrifice to my Guru; forever and ever, I am a sacrifice to Him. || 3 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

SORAT’H, THIRD MEHL, FIRST HOUSE, TI-TUKAS: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: You always preserve the honor of Your devotees, O Dear Lord; You have protected them from the very beginning of time. You protected Your servant Prahlaad, O Dear Lord, and annihilated Harnaakhash. The Gurmukhs place their faith in the Dear Lord, but the self-willed manmukhs are deluded by doubt. || 1 || O Dear Lord, this is Your Glory. You preserve the honor of Your devotees, O Lord Master; Your devotees seek Your Sanctuary. || Pause || The Messenger of Death cannot touch Your devotees; death cannot even approach them. The Name of the Lord alone abides in their minds; through the Naam, the Name of the Lord, they find liberation. Wealth and all the spiritual powers of the Siddhis fall at the feet of the Lord’s devotees; they obtain peace and poise from the Guru. || 2 || The self-willed manmukhs have no faith; they are filled with greed and self-interest. They are not Gurmukh — they do not understand the Word of the Shabad in their hearts; they do not love the Naam, the Name of the Lord. Their masks of falsehood and hypocrisy shall fall off; the self-willed manmukhs speak with insipid words. || 3 || You are pervading through Your devotees, O Dear God; through Your devotees, You are known.All the people are enticed by Maya; they are Yours, Lord — You alone are the Architect of Destiny. Overcoming my egotism and quieting the desires within my mind, I have come to realize the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. || 4 || God automatically does the work of those who love the Name of the Lord. By Guru’s Grace, he ever dwells in their minds, and He resolves all their affairs. Whoever challenges them is destroyed; they have the Lord God as their Savior. || 5 || Without serving the True Guru, no one finds the Lord; the self-willed manmukhs die crying out in pain. They come and go, and find no place of rest; in pain and suffering, they perish. But one who becomes Gurmukh drinks in the Ambrosial Nectar, and is easily absorbed in the True Name. || 6 || Without serving the True Guru, one cannot escape reincarnation, even by performing numerous rituals. Those who read the Vedas, and argue and debate without the Lord, lose their honor. True is the True Guru, and True is the Word of His Bani; in the Guru’s Sanctuary, one is saved. || 7 || Those whose minds are filled with the Lord are judged as true in the Court of the Lord; they are hailed as true in the True Court. Their praises echo throughout the ages, and no one can erase them. Nanak is forever a sacrifice to those who enshrine the Lord within their hearts. || 8 || 1 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The True Guru is the Giver of all peace and comfort — seek His Sanctuary. Beholding the Blessed Vision of His Darshan, bliss ensues, pain is dispelled, and one sings the Lord’s Praises. || 1 || Drink in the sublime essence of the Lord, O Siblings of Destiny. Chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord; worship the Naam in adoration, and enter the Sanctuary of the Perfect Guru. || Pause || Only one who has such pre-ordained destiny receives it; he alone becomes perfect, O Siblings of Destiny. Nanak’s prayer, O Dear God, is to remain lovingly absorbed in the Naam. || 2 || 25 || 89 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

SOOHEE, FOURTH MEHL, SEVENTH HOUSE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: Which, which of Your Glorious Virtues should I sing and recount, Lord? You are my Lord and Master, the treasure of excellence. I cannot express Your Glorious Praises. You are my Lord and Master, lofty and benevolent. || 1 || The Name of the Lord, Har, Har, is my only support. If it pleases You, please save me, O my Lord and Master; without You, I have no other at all. || 1 || Pause || You alone are my strength, and my Court, O my Lord and Master; unto You alone I pray. There is no other place where I can offer my prayers; I can tell my pains and pleasures only to You. || 2 || Water is locked up in the earth, and fire is locked up in wood. The sheep and the lions are kept in one place; O mortal, meditate on the Lord, and your doubts and fears shall be removed. || 3 || So behold the glorious greatness of the Lord, O Saints; the Lord blesses the dishonored with honor. As dust rises from underfoot, O Nanak, so does the Lord make all people fall at the feet of the Holy. || 4 || 1 || 12 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

DHANAASAREE, DEVOTEE RAVI DAAS JEE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: There is none as forlorn as I am, and none as Compassionate as You; what need is there to test us now? May my mind surrender to Your Word; please, bless Your humble servant with this perfection. || 1 || I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice to the Lord. O Lord, why are You silent? || Pause || For so many incarnations, I have been separated from You, Lord; I dedicate this life to You. Says Ravi Daas: placing my hopes in You, I live; it is so long since I have gazed upon the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. || 2 || 1 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

SHALOK, FOURTH MEHL: He has spiritual ignorance within, and his intellect is dull and dim; he does not place his faith in the True Guru. He has deceit within himself, and so he sees deception in all others; through his deceptions, he is totally ruined. The True Guru’s Will does not enter into his consciousness, and so he wanders around, pursuing his own interests. If He grants His Grace, then Nanak is absorbed into the Word of the Shabad. || 1 || FOURTH MEHL: The self-willed manmukhs are engrossed in emotional attachment to Maya; in the love of duality, their minds are unsteady. Night and day, they are burning; day and night, they are totally ruined by their egotism. Within them, is the total pitch darkness of greed, and no one even approaches them. They themselves are miserable, and they never find peace; they are born, only to die, and die again. O Nanak, the True Lord God forgives those, who focus their consciousness on the Guru’s feet. || 2 || PAUREE: That Saint, that devotee, is acceptable, who is loved by God. Those beings are wise, who meditate on the Lord. They eat the food, the treasure of the Ambrosial Naam, the Name of the Lord. They apply the dust of the feet of the Saints to their foreheads. O Nanak, they are purified, bathing in the sacred shrine of the Lord. || 26 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

RAAG SORAT’H, THE WORD OF DEVOTEE RAVI DAAS JEE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: If I am bound by the noose of emotional attachment, then I shall bind You, Lord, with the bonds of love. Go ahead and try to escape, Lord; I have escaped by worshipping and adoring You. || 1 || O Lord, You know my love for You. Now, what will You do? || 1 || Pause || A fish is caught, cut up, and cooked it in many different ways. Bit by bit, it is eaten, but still, it does not forget the water. || 2 || The Lord, our King, is father to no one, except those who love Him. The veil of emotional attachment has been cast over the entire world, but it does not bother the Lord’s devotee. || 3 || Says Ravi Daas, my devotion to the One Lord is increasing; now, who can I tell this to? That which brought me to worship and adore You — I am still suffering that pain. || 4 || 2 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

SHALOK: The Merciful Lord is the Savior of the Saints; their only support is to sing the Kirtan of the Lord’s Praises. One becomes immaculate and pure, by associating with the Saints, O Nanak, and taking the Protection of the Transcendent Lord. || 1 || The burning of the heart is not dispelled at all, by sandalwood paste, the moon, or the cold season. It only becomes cool, O Nanak, by chanting the Name of the Lord. || 2 || PAUREE: Through the Protection and Support of the Lord’s lotus feet, all beings are saved. Hearing of the Glory of the Lord of the Universe, the mind becomes fearless. Nothing at all is lacking, when one gathers the wealth of the Naam. The Society of the Saints is obtained, by very good deeds. Twenty-four hours a day, meditate on the Lord, and listen continually to the Lord’s Praises. || 17 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

RAAG SORAT’H, THE WORD OF DEVOTEE RAVI DAAS JEE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: If I am bound by the noose of emotional attachment, then I shall bind You, Lord, with the bonds of love. Go ahead and try to escape, Lord; I have escaped by worshipping and adoring You. || 1 || O Lord, You know my love for You. Now, what will You do? || 1 || Pause || A fish is caught, cut up, and cooked it in many different ways. Bit by bit, it is eaten, but still, it does not forget the water. || 2 || The Lord, our King, is father to no one, except those who love Him. The veil of emotional attachment has been cast over the entire world, but it does not bother the Lord’s devotee. || 3 || Says Ravi Daas, my devotion to the One Lord is increasing; now, who can I tell this to? That which brought me to worship and adore You — I am still suffering that pain. || 4 || 2 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

JAITSREE, FIFTH MEHL: After wandering through so many incarnations, I have come to Your Sanctuary. Save me — lift my body up out of the deep, dark pit of the world, and attach me to Your feet. || 1 || Pause || I do not know anything about spiritual wisdom, meditation or karma, and my way of life is not clean and pure. Please attach me to the hem of the robe of the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy; help me to cross over the terrible river. || 1 || Comforts, riches and the sweet pleasures of Maya — do not implant these within your mind. Slave Nanak is satisfied and satiated by the Blessed Vision of the Lord’s Darshan; his only ornamentation is the love of the Lord’s Name. || 2 || 8 || 12 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

TILANG, FOURTH MEHL: The Guru, my friend, has told me the stories and the sermon of the Lord. I am a sacrifice to my Guru; to the Guru, I am a sacrifice. || 1 || Come, join with me, O Sikh of the Guru, come and join with me. You are my Guru’s Beloved. || Pause || The Glorious Praises of the Lord are pleasing to the Lord; I have obtained them from the Guru. I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice to those who surrender to, and obey the Guru’s Will. || 2 || I am dedicated and devoted to those who gaze upon the Beloved True Guru. I am forever a sacrifice to those who perform service for the Guru. || 3 || Your Name, O Lord, Har, Har, is the Destroyer of sorrow. Serving the Guru, it is obtained, and as Gurmukh, one is emancipated. || 4 || Those humble beings who meditate on the Lord’s Name, are celebrated and acclaimed. Nanak is a sacrifice to them, forever and ever a devoted sacrifice. || 5 || O Lord, that alone is Praise to You, which is pleasing to Your Will, O Lord God. Those Gurmukhs, who serve their Beloved Lord, obtain Him as their reward. || 6 || Those who cherish love for the Lord, their souls are always with God. Chanting and meditating on their Beloved, they live in, and gather in, the Lord’s Name. || 7 || I am a sacrifice to those Gurmukhs who serve their Beloved Lord. They themselves are saved, along with their families, and through them, all the world is saved. || 8 || My Beloved Guru serves the Lord. Blessed is the Guru, Blessed is the Guru. The Guru has shown me the Lord’s Path; the Guru has done the greatest good deed. || 9 || Those Sikhs of the Guru, who serve the Guru, are the most blessed beings. Servant Nanak is a sacrifice to them; He is forever and ever a sacrifice. || 10 || The Lord Himself is pleased with the Gurmukhs, the fellowship of the companions. In the Lord’s Court, they are given robes of honor, and the Lord Himself hugs them close in His embrace. || 11 || Please bless me with the Blessed Vision of the Darshan of those Gurmukhs, who meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. I wash their feet, and drink in the dust of their feet, dissolved in the wash water. || 12 || Those who eat betel nuts and betel leaf and apply lipstick, but do not contemplate the Lord, Har, Har — the Messenger of Death will seize them and take them away. || 13 || The Messenger of Death does not even approach those who contemplate the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, and keep Him enshrined in their hearts. The Guru’s Sikhs are the Guru’s Beloveds. || 14 || The Name of the Lord is a treasure, known only to the few Gurmukhs. O Nanak, those who meet with the True Guru, enjoy peace and pleasure. || 15 || The True Guru is called the Giver; in His Mercy, He grants His Grace. I am forever a sacrifice to the Guru, who has blessed me with the Lord’s Name. || 16 || Blessed, very blessed is the Guru, who brings the Lord’s message. I gaze upon the Guru, the Guru, the True Guru embodied, and I blossom forth in bliss. || 17 || The Guru’s tongue recites Words of Ambrosial Nectar; He is adorned with the Lord’s Name. Those Sikhs who hear and obey the Guru — all their desires depart. || 18 || Some speak of the Lord’s Path; tell me, how can I walk on it? O Lord, Har, Har, Your Name is my supplies; I will take it with me and set out. || 19 || Those Gurmukhs who worship and adore the Lord, are wealthy and very wise. I am forever a sacrifice to the True Guru; I am absorbed in the Words of the Guru’s Teachings. || 20 || You are the Master, my Lord and Master; You are my Ruler and King. If it is pleasing to Your Will, then I worship and serve You; You are the treasure of virtue. || 21 || The Lord Himself is absolute; He is The One and Only; but He Himself is also manifested in many forms. Whatever pleases Him, O Nanak, that alone is good. || 22 || 2 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

DHANAASAREE, FIRST MEHL: I live by Your Name; my mind is in ecstasy, Lord. True is the Name of the True Lord. Glorious are the Praises of the Lord of the Universe. Infinite is the spiritual wisdom imparted by the Guru. The Creator Lord who created, shall also destroy. The call of death is sent out by the Lord’s Command; no one can challenge it. He Himself creates, and watches; His written command is above each and every head. He Himself imparts understanding and awareness. O Nanak, the Lord Master is inaccessible and unfathomable; I live by His True Name. || 1 || No one can compare to You, Lord; all come and go. By Your Command, the account is settled, and doubt is dispelled. The Guru dispels doubt, and makes us speak the Unspoken Speech; the true ones are absorbed into Truth. He Himself creates, and He Himself destroys; I accept the Command of the Commander Lord. True greatness comes from the Guru; You alone are the mind’s companion in the end. O Nanak, there is no other than the Lord and Master; greatness comes from Your Name. || 2 || You are the True Creator Lord, the unknowable Maker. There is only the One Lord and Master, but there are two paths, by which conflict increases. All follow these two paths, by the Hukam of the Lord’s Command; the world is born, only to die. Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the mortal has no friend at all; he carries loads of sin on his head. By the Hukam of the Lord’s Command, he comes, but he does not understand this Hukam; the Lord’s Hukam is the Embellisher. O Nanak, through the Shabad, the Word of the Lord and Master, the True Creator Lord is realized. || 3 || Your devotees look beautiful in Your Court, embellished with the Shabad. They chant the Ambrosial Word of His Bani, savoring it with their tongues. Savoring it with their tongues, they thirst for the Naam; they are a sacrifice to the Word of the Guru’s Shabad. Touching the philosopher’s stone, they become the philosopher’s stone, which transforms lead into gold; O Lord, they become pleasing to your mind. They attain the immortal status and eradicate their self-conceit; how rare is that person, who contemplates spiritual wisdom. O Nanak, the devotees look beautiful in the Court of the True Lord; they are dealers in the Truth. || 4 || I am hungry and thirsty for wealth; how will I be able to go to the Lord’s Court? I shall go and ask the True Guru, and meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. I meditate on the True Name, chant the True Name, and as Gurmukh, I realize the True Name. Night and day, I chant the Name of the merciful, immaculate Lord, the Master of the poor. The Primal Lord has ordained the tasks to be done; self-conceit is overcome, and the mind is subdued. O Nanak, the Naam is the sweetest essence; through the Naam, thirst and desire are stilled. || 5 || 2 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com

SHALOK THIRD MEHL: Those who turn their faces away from the True Guru, suffer in sorrow and bondage. Again and again, they are born only to die; they cannot meet their Lord. The disease of doubt does not depart, and they find only pain and more pain. O Nanak, if the Gracious Lord forgives, then one is united in Union with the Word of the Shabad. || 1 || THIRD MEHL: Those who turn their faces away from the True Guru, shall find no place of rest or shelter. They wander around from door to door, like a woman forsaken, with a bad character and a bad reputation. O Nanak, the Gurmukhs are forgiven, and united in Union with the True Guru. || 2 || PAUREE: Those who serve the True Lord, the Destroyer of ego, cross over the terrifying world-ocean. Those who chant the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, are passed over by the Messenger of Death. Those who meditate on the Lord, go to His Court in robes of honor. They alone serve You, O Lord, whom You bless with Grace. I sing continually Your Glorious Praises, O Beloved; as Gurmukh, my doubts and fears have been dispelled. || 7 || Hukamnama from SikhNet.com