ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Ik▫oaʼnkār saṯgur parsāḏ.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Siree Raag, First Mehl, Pehray, First House:
In the first watch of the night, O my merchant friend, you were cast into the womb, by the Lord’s Command.
Upside-down, within the womb, you performed penance, O my merchant friend, and you prayed to your Lord and Master.
You uttered prayers to your Lord and Master, while upside-down, and you meditated on Him with deep love and affection.
You came into this Dark Age of Kali Yuga naked, and you shall depart again naked.
As God’s Pen has written on your forehead, so it shall be with your soul.
Says Nanak, in the first watch of the night, by the Hukam of the Lord’s Command, you enter into the womb. ||1||
In the second watch of the night, O my merchant friend, you have forgotten to meditate.
From hand to hand, you are passed around, O my merchant friend, like Krishna in the house of Yashoda.
From hand to hand, you are passed around, and your mother says, "This is my son.
O my thoughtless and foolish mind, think: In the end, nothing shall be yours.
You do not know the One who created the creation. Gather spiritual wisdom within your mind.
Says Nanak, in the second watch of the night, you have forgotten to meditate. ||2||
In the third watch of the night, O my merchant friend, your consciousness is focused on wealth and youth.
You have not remembered the Name of the Lord, O my merchant friend, although it would release you from bondage.
You do not remember the Name of the Lord, and you become confused by Maya.
Reveling in your riches and intoxicated with youth, you waste your life uselessly.
You have not traded in righteousness and Dharma; you have not made good deeds your friends.
Says Nanak, in the third watch of the night, your mind is attached to wealth and youth. ||3||
In the fourth watch of the night, O my merchant friend, the Grim Reaper comes to the field.
When the Messenger of Death seizes and dispatches you, O my merchant friend, no one knows the mystery of where you have gone.
So think of the Lord! No one knows this secret, of when the Messenger of Death will seize you and take you away.
All your weeping and wailing then is false. In an instant, you become a stranger.
You obtain exactly what you have longed for.
Says Nanak, in the fourth watch of the night, O mortal, the Grim Reaper has harvested the field. ||4||1||
(Sri Guru Grantha page 74)