Step Ten:

Pursue the path of Gurmukhs, emulate then, to escape the effect of mammon

Slok Mahla 1 (Guru Nanak Dev Ji):

Falsehood (is the) king, falsehood (are the) subjects (and) falsehood (is the) entire world. 
Falsehood (is the) tent, falsehood (is the) house (and) falsehood (the) resident (therein). 
Falsehood (is the) gold, falsehood (is the) silver (and) falsehood (are the) wearers (of ornaments made therefrom). 
Falsehood (is the human) body, falsehood (is the) dress (worn and) falsehood (is the) acclaimed beauty (thereof).
Falsehood (is the) man, falsehood (is the) lady, drowned (in worldly) enjoyments (they face) humiliation. 
(The) falsehood getting attached (to) fraudulent (happenings of this world), forgets (the) Creator (Almighty). 
With whom (should) friendship (be) cultivated (when the) entire world (is) transient. 
Falsehood (is) sweet (to taste), falsehood (is like) honey, falsehood drowns (everyone in) entirety.
Nanak explicitly prays, except You (all else is a) falsehood (&) untruth. ||1||

M 1 (Guru Nanak Dev Ji):
(One must realize the worthlessness of this worldly existence and that the real) truth (behind it can) only then (be) known when (the) True (Almighty Himself enlightens one's) heart.
Filth of falsehood (gets) removed (and the) body (too) is washed (&) cleansed.
(The real) truth (can) only then (be) known, when (one) bears love (for the) True (Lord Almighty).

(On) hearing Name (of Almighty the) mind blossoms leading to (the) door of salvation.

(The real) truth (can) only then (be) known, when (one) learns (to live the spiritual) way (of) life.

Ploughing the field (of) body (and) sows therein (the Name of) Creator (Almighty as) seed.

(The real) truth (can) only then (be) known, when (one) learns true lesson (of life).

Having compassion for (all) creatures (and with) pious acts provides charity (for needy).

(The real) truth (can) only then (be) known, when (one) dwells (in the) shrine (of) soul.

Seeking guidance from (the) true-guru lives (a) life of contentment.

Truth (is the) panacea for all (ills) washing away (the) sins.

Nanak pleads for (those) who carry (the) Truth with (them). ||2||

Pauri (Guru Nanak Dev Ji):

(O Almighty, give) me (the) gift, (of the) dust (of the) feet (of saints, which) if (I) get (I shall) apply (on my) forehead.

Forsaking the false greed, (with) single-minded focus (we need to) concentrate (on the) un-seeable (Almighty).

(We) receive (the) reward (in) accordance (with the) type (of) actions performed.

If (it) is pre-ordained (by the Almighty), then (we) get (the) dust of their (feet).

(Acting as per own) petty mental (ability, one) wastes (the) effort (of life). ||10|| 

Stepwise Details:

Step One:

The true nature of this worldly existence is that it has been created by Almighty out of His Own Self. He Himself pervades in this creation and is not separated from it. He is enjoying this engagement which is just a sport for Him.

 Step Two:

Human being by virtue of this birth has an opportunity to realize this truth. This can be achieved by rumination of Name which is the purpose of this life. Everyone will have to account for his doings of this life.

Step Three:

A life spent in enjoying worldly pleasures is waste. Blessed ones get to meet the Guru and are able to overcome the cycle of birth and death.

Step Four:

Blessed ones get to meet the Guru and are saved from the cycle of re-birth. They forsaking I'ness ruminate Name.

Step Five:

Almighty's Name is the source of salvation. For one's own benefit, this is the way as the tenure of life is fixed.

Step Six:

It is certain that the boon of Name can be granted only by the Guru and no one else. Almighty reveals Himself through the Guru.

Step Seven:

Name can be ruminated by one who is contented, does not step on the wrong path, avoids shackles of worldly connections & tastes.

Step Eight:

Only those who are blessed, get His Name blossoming in their heart. Those running after their mental wishes waste their life.
Step Nine:
Those who are humble and engage in singing His praises, they are real Saints and are dear to Him.

Step Ten:

One needs to try to pursue the path of Gurmukhs and emulate them. In this manner one can escape the effect of mammon. 

Essence of ASA DI VAR

Almighty has created this world from His own self. Through this creation He is enjoying this worldly enactment. Human being has been created in this world so that he can realize the ultimate 'Truth' through spiritual way of life, but he is losing the battle of life by engaging in the lure of worldly enticements.

One who, by the grace of Almighty, gets a guru, shedding his I'ness, under Guru's guidance ruminates ‘Name’ is able to overcome the ills & troubles of life. This boon can be had only from the Guru who alone is capable of visualization of the Almighty's omnipresence.

What is the ‘Rumination of Name’? It can be explained as a life of contentment, strengthening the feeling of Almighty within oneself, instead of depending on own intellect making effort having faith in Almighty, sacrificing I'ness,  honest labour, good character and confidence in goodness of all happenings attributing them to the Almighty.

Pride of one's worldly possessions / qualities is purposeless. They are granted by Almighty and can be taken away in no time. It is a great blunder to get mentally attached with and run after the worldly allurements. Spiritual virtues are the greatest asset which can be had by following the path explained by the Guru. The evils of attachment and I'ness are to be avoided and sentiments of none should be hurt. Living in ever-remembrance of Almighty makes one's life successful. This life will not last forever. The truth is that one is happy or otherwise on account of his own doings, therefore, there is no point in engaging in any wrongdoing. Attempting to act smart with Almighty depending upon false worldly dependencies, can only result in one ultimately feeling ashamed. Happiness or otherwise occurs as per decree of Almighty. He Himself is the guardian caretaker of this entire creation. For an individual there is no support better than Him.

In a nutshell, Almighty has created the human being to realize 'Truth' through rumination of 'Name', but he wastes his life in worldly engagements. By the grace of Almighty one comes across the 'Guru', attains 'Name' and is able to lead a superior life. He understands the worthlessness of worldly achievements and considers Almighty as his only life support. 

'Asa Di Var' is a rendering that lays down a practical path of life. It contains 24 stanzas each one of which is called a ‘Pauri’ (Step) indicating that there are twenty four steps on the ladder leading to the desired destination. Attempt is being made to translate them into English in this blog.

Each step will be posted on a separate page.