One Universal Creator. Victory belongs to Waheguru.

The Tenth Guru.

The poet’s prayer of supplication. Chaupai.

Extend Your hand and protect me.

May the wish within my heart be fulfilled.

May my mind remain at Your feet.

Recognise me as Your own and care for me. (377)

Overcome all those who seek to harm us.

Protect me with Your own hand.

May my family live in peace,

And all Your servants and disciples, O Creator. (378)

Protect me with Your own hand.

Bring all hostile forces to an end.

May my hope be fulfilled,

And may my thirst for Your remembrance remain. (379)

Leaving all others aside, may I meditate on You alone.

Whatever blessing I seek, may I receive it from You.

Carry our servants and disciples safely across.

Seek out and defeat our enemies. (380)

Reach out Your hand and deliver me.

Remove the terror of death.

Always stand beside us.

O revered One whose banner is the sword, protect us. (381)

Save me, O Protector.

Beloved Master, helper of the saints,

Friend of the humble and destroyer of the wicked,

You are the Sovereign of the fourteen realms. (382)

In time, Brahma took bodily form.

In time, Shiva appeared.

In time, Vishnu came into being.

All this is the unfolding play of the Sovereign of Time. (383)

The One who brought forth Shiva, the yogi,

And Brahma, the master of the Vedas,

The One who fashioned all the worlds—

To that One I bow. (384)

The One who created the whole universe,

Who brought forth gods, demons and celestial beings,

The One alone who is present from beginning to end—

Know that One to be my Guru. (385)

To that One alone I bow,

Who personally fashioned all beings,

Who bestowed goodness and peace upon the servants,

And destroyed their enemies in an instant. (386)

You know what lies within every heart.

You recognise the suffering of both the good and the wicked.

From the ant to the mighty elephant,

Your gracious gaze rests upon all and brings them flourishing. (387)

You are pained when the saints suffer.

You rejoice when the holy ones find happiness.

You recognise the suffering of each and every being.

You know every hidden layer of every heart. (388)

When You, the Creator, expand creation,

Living beings take on countless forms.

Whenever You draw creation back into Yourself,

All embodied beings merge into You. (389)

As many voices as there are in creation,

Each speaks according to its own understanding.

Yet You remain distinct from them all.

You know the mysteries of the Vedas and of the universe. (390)

Formless, unchanging and dependent on none,

Primal, unstained, without beginning and unborn—

The foolish claim to explain the mystery of that One,

Whose mystery even the Vedas cannot grasp. (391)

They imagine that One to be a stone.

In great ignorance, they understand nothing of the mystery.

They call Mahadev the eternally unchanging One,

But do not recognise the mystery of the Formless. (392)

According to the measure of their understanding,

People describe You in different ways.

The extent of Your creation cannot be comprehended,

Nor how You first fashioned the world. (393)

You are the One, of incomparable form.

You appear as the poor, as a lord and as a king.

You created beings born from eggs, from wombs and from moisture,

And then established the realm of life that springs from the earth. (394)

In one place, You flourish and sit enthroned as a king.

In another, You withdraw as Shiva, the solitary ascetic.

You reveal the whole creation in its wonder.

From the beginning and throughout the ages, You are self-existent. (395)

Now grant me Your protection.

Deliver the disciples and overcome their adversaries.

All the wicked who stir up violence and disorder—

Defeat these cruel aggressors in battle. (396)

O sword-bannered One, those who seek Your refuge—

Their enemies suffer and perish.

Those who bow at Your feet—

You remove all their troubles. (397)

Whoever meditates upon the Sovereign of Time even once—

Death does not draw near that person.

That person is protected at all times.

Wicked forces and misfortunes are driven away at once. (398)

Whomever You look upon with Your gracious gaze,

You relieve their suffering in an instant.

Prosperity and spiritual accomplishments dwell in their home.

No wicked person can touch even their shadow. (399)

Those who remember You even once,

You free from the noose of death.

Those who speak Your Name

Are spared poverty, wickedness and suffering. (400)

O One whose banner is the sword, I seek Your refuge.

Extend Your own hand and deliver me.

Be my helper in every place.

Protect me from the wicked and from suffering. (401)