Five daily prayers and blessed food!

Before I begin, I would like to say, that this is not to offend any Gursikh out there especially the great Gursikhs that recite five banis everyday and follow Guru with great discipline, heart and mind and with real love. I want to reach at their level one day but somehow it is not working for me. When I read this shabad below, it reminded me of the quotes in the book by Patwant Singh on Sikhs that changed my life forever regarding ritualistic nature of things that Guru Nanak Sahib tried to instill in people. All this time I have been having a hard time as to why I just can’t follow a routine to doing my daily nitnem and just reciting banis. There are days when I am up at 3:30AM and can get Jap Ji Sahib and Jap Sahib recited, even attend morning diwan at Gurdwara, but then some other days I can’t even do one Bani let alone five recited. This up and down bothers me and I feel it is one of my weaknesses and I wonder if I will get disciplined enough in life. Sometimes I feel as to whoever came up with this reciting of five banis was not at Guru’s level and this possibly could not be the only way to be a Gursikh. I mean this seems so hard at times. Does Guru Sahib really mean for us to recite five to seven prayers everyday? What happens if I only recite one or two or none at all? Am I a manmukh? Reading the shabad below makes perfect sense to me what Guru Sahib is trying to instill in us and these are the five prayers I would like to follow. Sometimes I feel Sikhism is becoming just like any other organized religion and people are getting so tied up in the ritualistic nature of things that the real beauty of Sikhi is left unrecognized. I could be wrong, but I think that this ritualistic and rigid nature in Sikh panth is another reason why some people especially some of the younger generation are getting turned off from the beautiful path that Guru Sahib laid out for us. I am having a hard time just following ritualistically five prayers, do matha take, eat langar etc. rather do Japji Sahib or Jap Sahib or Anand Sahib or or Raihras or Kirtan Sohila or may be just a few lines but try to understand the word Guru Sahib is saying with my heart and mind and try to act on those lines. Again, this is just one view from someone who is just starting out as a Sikh and haven’t had the blessing of a whole life of a Gursikh in pure Sikhi environment.

sach kamaavai so-ee kaajee.
He alone is a Qazi, who practices the Truth.

jo dil soDhai so-ee haajee.
He alone is a Haji, a pilgrim to Mecca, who purifies his heart.

so mulaa mala-oon nivaarai so darvays jis sifat Dharaa. 6
He alone is a Mullah, who banishes evil; he alone is a saintly dervish, who takes the Support of
the Lord's Praise. 6

sabhay vakhat sabhay kar vaylaa.
Always, at every moment,

khaalak yaad dilai meh ma-ulaa.
remember God, the Creator within your heart.

tasbee yaad karahu das mardan sunat seel banDhaan baraa. 7
Let your meditation beads be the subjugation of the ten senses. Let good conduct and self-restraint be your circumcision. 7

dil meh jaanhu sabh filhaalaa.
You must know in your heart that everything is temporary.

khilkhaanaa biraadar hamoo janjaalaa.
Family, household and siblings are all entanglements.

meer malak umray faanaa-i-aa ayk mukaam khudaa-ay daraa. 8
Kings, rulers and nobles are mortal and transitory; only God's Gate is the permanent place. 8

aval sifat doojee saabooree.
First, is the Lord's Praise; second, contentment;

teejai halaymee cha-uthai khairee.
third, humility, and fourth, giving to charities.

punjvai panjay ikat mukaamai ayhi panj vakhat tayray aparparaa. 9
Fifth is to hold one's desires in restraint. These are the five most sublime daily prayers. 9

saglee jaan karahu ma-udeefaa.
Let your daily worship be the knowledge that God is everywhere.

bad amal chhod karahu hath koojaa.
Let renunciation of evil actions be the water-jug you carry.

khudaa-ay ayk bujh dayvhu baaNgaaN burgoo barkhurdaar kharaa. 10
Let realization of the One Lord God be your call to prayer; be a good child of God - let this be your trumpet. 10

hak halaal bakhorahu khaanaa.
Let what is earned righteously be your blessed food.

dil daree-aa-o Dhovahu mailaanaa.
Wash away pollution with the river of your heart.

peer pachhaanai bhistee so-ee ajraa-eel na doj tharaa. 11
One who realizes the Prophet attains heaven. Azraa-eel, the Messenger of Death, does not cast him into hell. 11

kaa-i-aa kirdaar a-urat yakeenaa.
Let good deeds be your body, and faith your bride.

rang tamaasay maan hakeenaa.
Play and enjoy the Lord's love and delight.

naapaak paak kar hadoor hadeesaa saabat soorat dastaar siraa. 12
Purify what is impure, and let the Lord's Presence be your religious tradition. Let your total awareness be the turban on your head. 12

musalmaan mom dil hovai.
To be Muslim is to be kind-hearted, antar kee mal dil tay Dhovai. and wash away pollution from within the heart.

dunee-aa rang na aavai nayrhai ji-o kusam paat ghi-o paak haraa. 13
He does not even approach worldly pleasures; he is pure, like flowers, silk, ghee and the deer-skin. 13

jaa ka-o mihar mihar miharvaanaa.
One who is blessed with the mercy and compassion of the Merciful Lord, so-ee marad marad mardaanaa. is the manliest man among men.

so-ee saykh masaa-ik haajee so bandaa jis najar naraa. 14
He alone is a Shaykh, a preacher, a Haji, and he alone is God's slave, who is blessed with God's Grace. 14

kudrat kaadar karan kareemaa.
The Creator Lord has Creative Power; the Merciful Lord has Mercy.

sifat muhabat athaah raheemaa.
The Praises and the Love of the Merciful Lord are unfathomable.

hak hukam sach khudaa-i-aa bujh naanak band khalaas taraa. 15312
Realize the True Hukam, the Command of the Lord, O Nanak; you shall be released from bondage, and carried across. 15312

maaroo mehlaa 5. Maaroo, Fifth Mehl:

paarbarahm sabh ooch biraajay.
The Abode of the Supreme Lord God is above all.

aapay thaap uthaapay saajay.
He Himself establishes, establishes and creates.

parabh kee saran gahat sukh paa-ee-ai kichh bha-o na vi-aapai baal kaa. 1
Holding tight to the Sanctuary of God, peace is found, and one is not afflicted by the fear of Maya. 1

garabh agan meh jineh ubaari-aa.
He saved you from the fire of the womb,

rakat kiram meh nahee sanghaari-aa. and did not destroy you, when you were an egg in your mother's ovary.

apnaa simran day partipaali-aa oh sagal ghataa kaa maalkaa. 2
Blessing you with meditative remembrance upon Himself, He nurtured you and cherished you; He is the Master of all hearts. 2

charan kamal sarnaa-ee aa-i-aa.
I have come to the Sanctuary of His lotus feet.

saaDhsang hai har jas gaa-i-aa.
In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, I sing the Praises of the Lord.

janam maran sabh dookh nivaaray jap har har bha-o nahee kaal kaa. 3
I have erased all the pains of birth and death; meditating on the Lord, Har, Har, I have no fear of death. 3

samrath akath agochar dayvaa.
God is all-powerful, indescribable, unfathomable and divine.

jee-a jant sabh taa kee sayvaa.
All beings and creatures serve Him.

andaj jayraj saytaj ut-bhuj baho parkaaree paalkaa. 4
In so many ways, He cherishes those born from eggs, from the womb, from sweat and from the earth. 4

tiseh paraapat ho-ay niDhaanaa.
He alone obtains this wealth,

raam naam ras antar maanaa.
who savors and enjoys, deep within his mind, the Name of the Lord.

kar geh leenay anDh koop tay virlay kay-ee saalkaa. 5
Grasping hold of his arm, God lifts him up and pulls him out of the deep, dark pit. Such a devotee of the Lord is very rare. 5