The bani of Guru Nanak Dev Ji that opens Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, recited by Sikhs at amrit vela, the hour before dawn.
ੴ ਜਪੁ ਜੀ ਸਾਹਿਬ
Awaiting review by a scholar of this tradition. Original texts are public domain; the plain meanings and notes are written by IndiaDigital and are being checked. We describe what each tradition teaches, in its own terms, and never rank faiths. Report a correction
About Japji Sahib
Japji Sahib is the bani of Guru Nanak Dev Ji that opens Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, filling angs 1 to 8. Sikhs recite it at amrit vela, the hours before dawn, as the first bani of the daily Nitnem. It begins with the Mool Mantar, followed by a short opening salok, 38 pauris (stanzas) and a closing salok. By Sikh tradition, the closing salok is attributed to Guru Angad Dev Ji. Many Sikhs know it by heart, and it is also recited at many gatherings and ceremonies.
In Sikh teaching, Japji Sahib begins with Ik Onkar: there is one Creator, present in all creation, whose being is Sach, eternal Truth. It teaches that everything moves within Hukam, the divine order, and that the way out of haumai (ego) is to live in harmony with that order rather than through ritual, cleverness or force. Listening to and trusting the Naam, the remembrance of Waheguru, is praised again and again as what transforms a person. Japji stresses that the Creator is beyond all measure and that everything good comes through Nadar, the gracious glance. Near the end it describes the spiritual journey as five khands, or realms: duty, knowledge, effort, grace and truth.
It is amrit vela, the quiet hours before dawn, when Sikh tradition teaches that the mind is most still.
At Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, lamps shimmer on the sarovar as the golden walls catch the first light.
Sangat gathers, heads covered, sitting quietly. In homes across the world, families too begin their day the same way.
Sikh tradition remembers Japji Sahib as the bani of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, placed first in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Voices rise together on the first words, Ik Onkar: there is One. And the recitation of the day begins.
Line by line, the sangat moves through the 38 pauris toward the closing salok, as Sikhs have done for centuries.
The first symbol of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji: the numeral one joined to Onkar. Sikhs understand it to mean that the Creator is One, without a second, and present throughout creation.
ਸਚੁ · Sach
Truth that does not change or pass away. In Japji Sahib, Waheguru is called true in the beginning, true through the ages, true now and true forever. Becoming sachiara, a truthful person, is the goal named in pauri 1.
ਹੁਕਮੁ · Hukam
The divine order or will through which all forms come into being and all things move. In Sikh teaching, nothing stands outside Hukam, and understanding it frees a person from ego.
ਨਾਮੁ · Naam
The Name: the presence of Waheguru remembered, recited and lived. Pauris 8 to 15 describe what happens to those who listen to the Naam and trust it fully.
ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ · Gur Prasad
By the Guru's grace. The last words of the Mool Mantar teach, in Sikh understanding, that the One is realised not by one's own cleverness but as a gift of the Guru's grace.
ਨਦਰਿ · Nadar / Karam
The gracious glance of Waheguru. Japji Sahib returns to it often: deeds shape one's life, but liberation and every true gift come through Nadar, also called Karam (grace).
ਹਉਮੈ · Haumai
Ego, the sense of 'I, me, mine' that separates a person from the One. Pauri 2 teaches that whoever understands Hukam no longer speaks from haumai.
ਸੁਣਿਐ ਮੰਨੈ · Suniai, Mannai
Listening and trusting. Pauris 8 to 11 praise deep listening to the Naam, and pauris 12 to 15 praise mannai: accepting it with full faith so that it shapes one's whole life.
ਪੰਜ ਖੰਡ · The five khands
Five realms or stages of the spiritual journey in pauris 34 to 37: Dharam Khand (duty and right action), Gian Khand (knowledge), Saram Khand (effort and refinement), Karam Khand (grace) and Sach Khand (truth, where the Formless One abides).
Read Japji Sahib
Gurbani exactly as in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, with Devanagari and Roman reading guides. The meanings are ours, in plain words; Gurbani is understood best in its own Gurmukhi.
ik oankār sati nāmu karatā purakhu nirabhau niravairu akāl mūrati ajūnī saibhaṃ gur prasādi ||
The Mool Mantar, the root formula, opens Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. It states that there is One Creator, whose Name is Truth, the Creator and Being present in all, without fear and without enmity, timeless in form, beyond birth, self-existent. It ends by saying that this One is known through the Guru's grace.
This short salok declares that the One was true before anything began, true through all the ages, is true now, and, says Nanak, will be true forever. It sets the theme of Sach, unchanging Truth, for all that follows.
सोचै सोचि न होवई जे सोची लख वार ॥चुपै चुप न होवई जे लाइ रहा लिव तार ॥भुखिआ भुख न उतरी जे बंना पुरीआ भार ॥सहस सिआणपा लख होहि त इक न चलै नालि ॥किव सचिआरा होईऐ किव कूड़ै तुटै पालि ॥हुकमि रजाई चलणा नानक लिखिआ नालि ॥१॥
socai soci na hovaī je socī lakh vār ||cupai cup na hovaī je lāi rahā liv tār ||bhukhiā bhukh na utarī je baṃnā purīā bhār ||sahas siāṇapā lakh hohi ta ik na calai nāli ||kiv saciārā hoīai kiv kūḍaai tuṭai pāli ||hukami rajāī calaṇā nānak likhiā nāli ||1||
Purity of mind does not come by washing or thinking, even a hundred thousand times; silence of the mind does not come by sitting in unbroken outer silence; hunger is not satisfied by heaps of worldly goods; and a thousand clevernesses do not go with us. The question is asked: how can one become truthful, and how can the wall of falsehood be broken? The answer: by walking in the Hukam, the divine will, which is written along with us. Some read the first line as ritual cleansing, others as thinking; both readings point beyond outward effort.
हुकमी होवनि आकार हुकमु न कहिआ जाई ॥हुकमी होवनि जीअ हुकमि मिलै वडिआई ॥हुकमी उतमु नीचु हुकमि लिखि दुख सुख पाईअहि ॥इकना हुकमी बखसीस इकि हुकमी सदा भवाईअहि ॥हुकमै अंदरि सभु को बाहरि हुकम न कोइ ॥नानक हुकमै जे बुझै त हउमै कहै न कोइ ॥२॥
hukamī hovani ākār hukamu na kahiā jāī ||hukamī hovani jīa hukami milai vaḍiāī ||hukamī utamu nīcu hukami likhi dukh sukh pāīahi ||ikanā hukamī bakhasīs iki hukamī sadā bhavāīahi ||hukamai aṃdari sabhu ko bāhari hukam na koi ||nānak hukamai je bujhai ta haumai kahai na koi ||2||
By Hukam all forms are created, yet Hukam itself cannot be described. By Hukam beings come into life and some receive honour; by Hukam some are high and some low, and pain and joy are given as written. Some are blessed, while others wander in the round of birth and death. Everyone is within Hukam and no one is outside it; Nanak says that whoever truly understands Hukam does not speak in ego.
गावै को ताणु होवै किसै ताणु ॥गावै को दाति जाणै नीसाणु ॥गावै को गुण वडिआईआ चार ॥गावै को विदिआ विखमु वीचारु ॥गावै को साजि करे तनु खेह ॥गावै को जीअ लै फिरि देह ॥गावै को जापै दिसै दूरि ॥गावै को वेखै हादरा हदूरि ॥कथना कथी न आवै तोटि ॥कथि कथि कथी कोटी कोटि कोटि ॥देदा दे लैदे थकि पाहि ॥जुगा जुगंतरि खाही खाहि ॥हुकमी हुकमु चलाए राहु ॥नानक विगसै वेपरवाहु ॥३॥
gāvai ko tāṇu hovai kisai tāṇu ||gāvai ko dāti jāṇai nīsāṇu ||gāvai ko guṇ vaḍiāīā cār ||gāvai ko vidiā vikhamu vīcāru ||gāvai ko sāji kare tanu kheh ||gāvai ko jīa lai phiri deh ||gāvai ko jāpai disai dūri ||gāvai ko vekhai hādarā hadūri ||kathanā kathī na āvai toṭi ||kathi kathi kathī koṭī koṭi koṭi ||dedā de laide thaki pāhi ||jugā jugaṃtari khāhī khāhi ||hukamī hukamu calāe rāhu ||nānak vigasai veparavāhu ||3||
People sing of the Creator in countless ways: some of power, some of gifts, some of beautiful virtues, some of knowledge hard to grasp; some sing that the One shapes the body and turns it back to dust, takes life and gives it again, seems far away and yet is seen to be near. Millions upon millions describe, and still there is no end. The Giver keeps giving while the receivers grow tired of receiving, age after age. The Commander, through Hukam, guides the path, and Nanak says the Carefree One remains in bliss.
The Master is true and the Name is true, spoken of with boundless love. People ask and beg, and the Giver gives. What can we offer to see the divine court, and what words can we speak that would win that love? The answer: in amrit vela, the early hours before dawn, reflect on the True Name and its greatness. By one's deeds one receives this human life (some read the 'robe' as honour), but by grace one reaches the door of liberation; know that the True One is all in all.
थापिआ न जाइ कीता न होइ ॥आपे आपि निरंजनु सोइ ॥जिनि सेविआ तिनि पाइआ मानु ॥नानक गावीऐ गुणी निधानु ॥गावीऐ सुणीऐ मनि रखीऐ भाउ ॥दुखु परहरि सुखु घरि लै जाइ ॥गुरमुखि नादं गुरमुखि वेदं गुरमुखि रहिआ समाई ॥गुरु ईसरु गुरु गोरखु बरमा गुरु पारबती माई ॥जे हउ जाणा आखा नाही कहणा कथनु न जाई ॥गुरा इक देहि बुझाई ॥सभना जीआ का इकु दाता सो मै विसरि न जाई ॥५॥
thāpiā na jāi kītā na hoi ||āpe āpi niraṃjanu soi ||jini seviā tini pāiā mānu ||nānak gāvīai guṇī nidhānu ||gāvīai suṇīai mani rakhīai bhāu ||dukhu parahari sukhu ghari lai jāi ||guramukhi nādaṃ guramukhi vedaṃ guramukhi rahiā samāī ||guru īsaru guru gorakhu baramā guru pārabatī māī ||je hau jāṇā ākhā nāhī kahaṇā kathanu na jāī ||gurā ik dehi bujhāī ||sabhanā jīā kā iku dātā so mai visari na jāī ||5||
The One cannot be installed like an idol or made by anyone; the Pure One exists by itself. Those who serve receive honour, so sing of the Treasure of virtues, listen, and keep love in the heart: sorrow leaves and peace comes home. The Guru's word is the sacred sound and the scripture, and through the Guru the One is found everywhere; in the Guru's teaching are all the powers people seek in Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu and Parvati. Even knowing this, it cannot be put into words; the Guru has given one understanding: there is one Giver of all beings, and may I never forget that One.
तीरथि नावा जे तिसु भावा विणु भाणे कि नाइ करी ॥जेती सिरठि उपाई वेखा विणु करमा कि मिलै लई ॥मति विचि रतन जवाहर माणिक जे इक गुर की सिख सुणी ॥गुरा इक देहि बुझाई ॥सभना जीआ का इकु दाता सो मै विसरि न जाई ॥६॥
tīrathi nāvā je tisu bhāvā viṇu bhāṇe ki nāi karī ||jetī siraṭhi upāī vekhā viṇu karamā ki milai laī ||mati vici ratan javāhar māṇik je ik gur kī sikh suṇī ||gurā ik dehi bujhāī ||sabhanā jīā kā iku dātā so mai visari na jāī ||6||
I would bathe at places of pilgrimage if that pleased the One, but without that pleasure, what use is bathing? In all the creation I see, nothing is received without grace. If one listens to even a single teaching of the Guru, the mind fills with jewels, gems and rubies. The Guru has given one understanding: there is one Giver of all beings, and may I never forget that One.
जे जुग चारे आरजा होर दसूणी होइ ॥नवा खंडा विचि जाणीऐ नालि चलै सभु कोइ ॥चंगा नाउ रखाइ कै जसु कीरति जगि लेइ ॥जे तिसु नदरि न आवई त वात न पुछै के ॥कीटा अंदरि कीटु करि दोसी दोसु धरे ॥नानक निरगुणि गुणु करे गुणवंतिआ गुणु दे ॥तेहा कोइ न सुझई जि तिसु गुणु कोइ करे ॥७॥
je jug cāre ārajā hor dasūṇī hoi ||navā khaṃḍā vici jāṇīai nāli calai sabhu koi ||caṃgā nāu rakhāi kai jasu kīrati jagi lei ||je tisu nadari na āvaī ta vāt na puchai ke ||kīṭā aṃdari kīṭu kari dosī dosu dhare ||nānak niraguṇi guṇu kare guṇavaṃtiā guṇu de ||tehā koi na sujhaī ji tisu guṇu koi kare ||7||
Even if one lived through the four ages and ten times more, were known across the nine regions of the world, followed by everyone, with a good name and praise everywhere, without the gracious glance of the One no one would truly care for that person. Such a person would be counted the lowest of worms, and even wrongdoers would find fault with them. Nanak says the One gives virtue to the virtueless and more virtue to the virtuous, and there is no one who could give any virtue to the One.
सुणिऐ सिध पीर सुरि नाथ ॥सुणिऐ धरति धवल आकास ॥सुणिऐ दीप लोअ पाताल ॥सुणिऐ पोहि न सकै कालु ॥नानक भगता सदा विगासु ॥सुणिऐ दूख पाप का नासु ॥८॥
suṇiai sidh pīr suri nāth ||suṇiai dharati dhaval ākās ||suṇiai dīp loa pātāl ||suṇiai pohi na sakai kālu ||nānak bhagatā sadā vigāsu ||suṇiai dūkh pāp kā nāsu ||8||
This begins four pauris on suniai, listening deeply to the Naam. Through listening, people reach the state of the siddhs, pirs, gods and great yogis; they come to understand the earth, its support and the sky, the continents, worlds and lower realms; and death cannot touch them. Nanak says the devotees are always in bliss, and through listening, pain and wrongdoing are wiped away.
suṇiai īsaru baramā iṃdu ||suṇiai mukhi sālāhaṇ maṃdu ||suṇiai jog jugati tani bhed ||suṇiai sāsat simriti ved ||nānak bhagatā sadā vigāsu ||suṇiai dūkh pāp kā nāsu ||9||
Through listening, people reach the high states associated with Shiva, Brahma and Indra; even those who once spoke ill come to sing praises. Through listening, the ways of yoga and the secrets of the body become clear, along with the wisdom of the Shastras, Smritis and Vedas. Nanak says the devotees are always in bliss, and through listening, pain and wrongdoing are wiped away.
सुणिऐ सतु संतोखु गिआनु ॥सुणिऐ अठसठि का इसनानु ॥सुणिऐ पड़ि पड़ि पावहि मानु ॥सुणिऐ लागै सहजि धिआनु ॥नानक भगता सदा विगासु ॥सुणिऐ दूख पाप का नासु ॥१०॥
suṇiai satu saṃtokhu giānu ||suṇiai aṭhasaṭhi kā isanānu ||suṇiai paḍai paḍai pāvahi mānu ||suṇiai lāgai sahaji dhiānu ||nānak bhagatā sadā vigāsu ||suṇiai dūkh pāp kā nāsu ||10||
Through listening come truth, contentment and spiritual wisdom. Listening is like bathing at all sixty-eight places of pilgrimage; through listening, the honour that scholars seek by reading comes naturally, and the mind settles into easy, natural meditation. Nanak says the devotees are always in bliss, and through listening, pain and wrongdoing are wiped away.
Through listening, one dives deep into oceans of virtue and attains the standing of sheikhs, pirs and kings. Through listening, the blind find the way, and what was beyond reach comes within one's grasp. Nanak says the devotees are always in bliss, and through listening, pain and wrongdoing are wiped away.
मंने की गति कही न जाइ ॥जे को कहै पिछै पछुताइ ॥कागदि कलम न लिखणहारु ॥मंने का बहि करनि वीचारु ॥ऐसा नामु निरंजनु होइ ॥जे को मंनि जाणै मनि कोइ ॥१२॥
maṃne kī gati kahī na jāi ||je ko kahai pichai pachutāi ||kāgadi kalam na likhaṇahāru ||maṃne kā bahi karani vīcāru ||aisā nāmu niraṃjanu hoi ||je ko maṃni jāṇai mani koi ||12||
This begins four pauris on mannai, accepting the Naam with complete trust and faith. The state of one who truly trusts cannot be described; whoever tries will regret it later. There is no paper, pen or writer that can record it, though people sit and ponder. Such is the Pure Name, if only someone trusts it in their heart.
मंनै सुरति होवै मनि बुधि ॥मंनै सगल भवण की सुधि ॥मंनै मुहि चोटा ना खाइ ॥मंनै जम कै साथि न जाइ ॥ऐसा नामु निरंजनु होइ ॥जे को मंनि जाणै मनि कोइ ॥१३॥
maṃnai surati hovai mani budhi ||maṃnai sagal bhavaṇ kī sudhi ||maṃnai muhi coṭā nā khāi ||maṃnai jam kai sāthi na jāi ||aisā nāmu niraṃjanu hoi ||je ko maṃni jāṇai mani koi ||13||
Through trusting, awareness awakens in the mind and intellect, and one gains understanding of all the worlds. Through trusting, one does not suffer blows of shame and does not go the way of death's messenger. Such is the Pure Name, if only someone trusts it in their heart.
मंनै मारगि ठाक न पाइ ॥मंनै पति सिउ परगटु जाइ ॥मंनै मगु न चलै पंथु ॥मंनै धरम सेती सनबंधु ॥ऐसा नामु निरंजनु होइ ॥जे को मंनि जाणै मनि कोइ ॥१४॥
maṃnai māragi ṭhāk na pāi ||maṃnai pati siu paragaṭu jāi ||maṃnai magu na calai paṃthu ||maṃnai dharam setī sanabaṃdhu ||aisā nāmu niraṃjanu hoi ||je ko maṃni jāṇai mani koi ||14||
Through trusting, nothing blocks one's path, and one departs with honour in the open. One who trusts does not wander down narrow sectarian ways, and their bond is with dharma, right living. Such is the Pure Name, if only someone trusts it in their heart.
मंनै पावहि मोखु दुआरु ॥मंनै परवारै साधारु ॥मंनै तरै तारे गुरु सिख ॥मंनै नानक भवहि न भिख ॥ऐसा नामु निरंजनु होइ ॥जे को मंनि जाणै मनि कोइ ॥१५॥
maṃnai pāvahi mokhu duāru ||maṃnai paravārai sādhāru ||maṃnai tarai tāre guru sikh ||maṃnai nānak bhavahi na bhikh ||aisā nāmu niraṃjanu hoi ||je ko maṃni jāṇai mani koi ||15||
Through trusting, one finds the door of liberation and becomes a support to one's family. Through trusting, one crosses over and the Guru carries the Sikhs across too; some read this as the Guru's Sikh crossing over and helping others across. One who trusts does not wander begging. Such is the Pure Name, if only someone trusts it in their heart.
पंच परवाण पंच परधानु ॥पंचे पावहि दरगहि मानु ॥पंचे सोहहि दरि राजानु ॥पंचा का गुरु एकु धिआनु ॥जे को कहै करै वीचारु ॥करते कै करणै नाही सुमारु ॥धौलु धरमु दइआ का पूतु ॥संतोखु थापि रखिआ जिनि सूति ॥जे को बुझै होवै सचिआरु ॥धवलै उपरि केता भारु ॥धरती होरु परै होरु होरु ॥तिस ते भारु तलै कवणु जोरु ॥जीअ जाति रंगा के नाव ॥सभना लिखिआ वुड़ी कलाम ॥एहु लेखा लिखि जाणै कोइ ॥लेखा लिखिआ केता होइ ॥केता ताणु सुआलिहु रूपु ॥केती दाति जाणै कौणु कूतु ॥कीता पसाउ एको कवाउ ॥तिस ते होए लख दरीआउ ॥कुदरति कवण कहा वीचारु ॥वारिआ न जावा एक वार ॥जो तुधु भावै साई भली कार ॥तू सदा सलामति निरंकार ॥१६॥
paṃc paravāṇ paṃc paradhānu ||paṃce pāvahi daragahi mānu ||paṃce sohahi dari rājānu ||paṃcā kā guru eku dhiānu ||je ko kahai karai vīcāru ||karate kai karaṇai nāhī sumāru ||dhaulu dharamu daiā kā pūtu ||saṃtokhu thāpi rakhiā jini sūti ||je ko bujhai hovai saciāru ||dhavalai upari ketā bhāru ||dharatī horu parai horu horu ||tis te bhāru talai kavaṇu joru ||jīa jāti raṃgā ke nāv ||sabhanā likhiā vuḍaī kalām ||ehu lekhā likhi jāṇai koi ||lekhā likhiā ketā hoi ||ketā tāṇu suālihu rūpu ||ketī dāti jāṇai kauṇu kūtu ||kītā pasāu eko kavāu ||tis te hoe lakh darīāu ||kudarati kavaṇ kahā vīcāru ||vāriā na jāvā ek vār ||jo tudhu bhāvai sāī bhalī kār ||tū sadā salāmati niraṃkār ||16||
The panch, those accepted by the One, are honoured in the divine court and keep their minds on the one Guru. Myth says a bull holds up the earth, but here the true bull is dharma, born of compassion, holding the world in place with the thread of contentment; and beyond this earth lie more and more worlds, so what could hold them up? All the countless beings, kinds and colours are written by the ever-flowing pen of the One, and their account is beyond reckoning. With a single word the whole creation spread out and countless rivers began to flow; Nanak says, I am not able even once to be a sacrifice to You: whatever pleases You is good, O Formless One, ever abiding.
असंख जप असंख भाउ ॥असंख पूजा असंख तप ताउ ॥असंख गरंथ मुखि वेद पाठ ॥असंख जोग मनि रहहि उदास ॥असंख भगत गुण गिआन वीचार ॥असंख सती असंख दातार ॥असंख सूर मुह भख सार ॥असंख मोनि लिव लाइ तार ॥कुदरति कवण कहा वीचारु ॥वारिआ न जावा एक वार ॥जो तुधु भावै साई भली कार ॥तू सदा सलामति निरंकार ॥१७॥
asaṃkh jap asaṃkh bhāu ||asaṃkh pūjā asaṃkh tap tāu ||asaṃkh garaṃth mukhi ved pāṭh ||asaṃkh jog mani rahahi udās ||asaṃkh bhagat guṇ giān vīcār ||asaṃkh satī asaṃkh dātār ||asaṃkh sūr muh bhakh sār ||asaṃkh moni liv lāi tār ||kudarati kavaṇ kahā vīcāru ||vāriā na jāvā ek vār ||jo tudhu bhāvai sāī bhalī kār ||tū sadā salāmati niraṃkār ||17||
This begins three pauris on asankh, the countless. There are countless meditations and countless loves, countless worships and austerities, countless scriptures and recitations, countless yogis detached in mind, countless devotees reflecting on virtues, countless people of truth and of generosity, countless brave ones facing the sword, countless silent sages absorbed in love. What power have I to describe it? Whatever pleases You is good, O Formless One, ever abiding.
Creation also holds countless fools in deep darkness, countless thieves and those who live on what is not theirs, countless who rule by force, countless who take life, countless who do wrong, lie, live in filth and slander others. In humility Nanak names himself among the lowly as he reflects on this. What power have I to describe it? Whatever pleases You is good, O Formless One, ever abiding.
असंख नाव असंख थाव ॥अगंम अगंम असंख लोअ ॥असंख कहहि सिरि भारु होइ ॥अखरी नामु अखरी सालाह ॥अखरी गिआनु गीत गुण गाह ॥अखरी लिखणु बोलणु बाणि ॥अखरा सिरि संजोगु वखाणि ॥जिनि एहि लिखे तिसु सिरि नाहि ॥जिव फुरमाए तिव तिव पाहि ॥जेता कीता तेता नाउ ॥विणु नावै नाही को थाउ ॥कुदरति कवण कहा वीचारु ॥वारिआ न जावा एक वार ॥जो तुधु भावै साई भली कार ॥तू सदा सलामति निरंकार ॥१९॥
asaṃkh nāv asaṃkh thāv ||agaṃm agaṃm asaṃkh loa ||asaṃkh kahahi siri bhāru hoi ||akharī nāmu akharī sālāh ||akharī giānu gīt guṇ gāh ||akharī likhaṇu bolaṇu bāṇi ||akharā siri saṃjogu vakhāṇi ||jini ehi likhe tisu siri nāhi ||jiv phuramāe tiv tiv pāhi ||jetā kītā tetā nāu ||viṇu nāvai nāhī ko thāu ||kudarati kavaṇ kahā vīcāru ||vāriā na jāvā ek vār ||jo tudhu bhāvai sāī bhalī kār ||tū sadā salāmati niraṃkār ||19||
There are countless names and countless places, worlds beyond reach; even to say 'countless' is a burden of pride. Yet through letters and words we name, praise, gain knowledge, sing, write and speak, and through words destiny is written on the brow; but the One who writes is not bound by any writing. As the One commands, so it is received; all creation is the expression of the Name, and there is no place without the Name. Whatever pleases You is good, O Formless One, ever abiding.
bharīai hathu pairu tanu deh ||pāṇī dhotai utarasu kheh ||mūt palītī kapaḍau hoi ||de sābūṇu laīai ohu dhoi ||bharīai mati pāpā kai saṃgi ||ohu dhopai nāvai kai raṃgi ||puṃnī pāpī ākhaṇu nāhi ||kari kari karaṇā likhi lai jāhu ||āpe bīji āpe hī khāhu ||nānak hukamī āvahu jāhu ||20||
When hands, feet and body are covered in dust, water washes them clean; when clothes are soiled, soap washes them. When the mind is stained by wrongdoing, it is cleansed by love of the Name. Being good or bad is not a matter of mere words: deeds are recorded and go with us. We reap what we sow, and Nanak says that by Hukam we come and go.
तीरथु तपु दइआ दतु दानु ॥जे को पावै तिल का मानु ॥सुणिआ मंनिआ मनि कीता भाउ ॥अंतरगति तीरथि मलि नाउ ॥सभि गुण तेरे मै नाही कोइ ॥विणु गुण कीते भगति न होइ ॥सुअसति आथि बाणी बरमाउ ॥सति सुहाणु सदा मनि चाउ ॥कवणु सु वेला वखतु कवणु कवण थिति कवणु वारु ॥कवणि सि रुती माहु कवणु जितु होआ आकारु ॥वेल न पाईआ पंडती जि होवै लेखु पुराणु ॥वखतु न पाइओ कादीआ जि लिखनि लेखु कुराणु ॥थिति वारु ना जोगी जाणै रुति माहु ना कोई ॥जा करता सिरठी कउ साजे आपे जाणै सोई ॥किव करि आखा किव सालाही किउ वरनी किव जाणा ॥नानक आखणि सभु को आखै इक दू इकु सिआणा ॥वडा साहिबु वडी नाई कीता जा का होवै ॥नानक जे को आपौ जाणै अगै गइआ न सोहै ॥२१॥
tīrathu tapu daiā datu dānu ||je ko pāvai til kā mānu ||suṇiā maṃniā mani kītā bhāu ||aṃtaragati tīrathi mali nāu ||sabhi guṇ tere mai nāhī koi ||viṇu guṇ kīte bhagati na hoi ||suasati āthi bāṇī baramāu ||sati suhāṇu sadā mani cāu ||kavaṇu su velā vakhatu kavaṇu kavaṇ thiti kavaṇu vāru ||kavaṇi si rutī māhu kavaṇu jitu hoā ākāru ||vel na pāīā paṃḍatī ji hovai lekhu purāṇu ||vakhatu na pāio kādīā ji likhani lekhu kurāṇu ||thiti vāru nā jogī jāṇai ruti māhu nā koī ||jā karatā siraṭhī kau sāje āpe jāṇai soī ||kiv kari ākhā kiv sālāhī kiu varanī kiv jāṇā ||nānak ākhaṇi sabhu ko ākhai ik dū iku siāṇā ||vaḍā sāhibu vaḍī nāī kītā jā kā hovai ||nānak je ko āpau jāṇai agai gaiā na sohai ||21||
Pilgrimage, austerity, compassion and charity bring only a sesame seed's worth of honour; one who listens, trusts and loves the Name in the heart bathes at the sacred place within. All virtues are the One's, and without them there is no devotion; the pauri then offers a salutation to the One, whom it calls the Word and the Creator (some read this line as hailing the One as source of maya, the Word and Brahma). It asks what the time, date, day, season and month were when creation took form: the pandits did not find it, or it would be in the Puranas; the qazis did not find it, or it would be in the Quran; the yogis do not know it either; only the Creator who made it knows. All try to describe the One, each claiming more wisdom, but great is the Master and great the Name, and whatever happens is the One's doing; Nanak says that whoever thinks themselves wise on their own will not be honoured hereafter.
pātālā pātāl lakh āgāsā āgās ||oḍak oḍak bhāli thake ved kahani ik vāt ||sahas aṭhārah kahani katebā asulū iku dhātu ||lekhā hoi ta likhīai lekhai hoi viṇāsu ||nānak vaḍā ākhīai āpe jāṇai āpu ||22||
There are lower worlds beyond lower worlds, and hundreds of thousands of skies beyond skies. Seekers have grown tired searching for the limits, and the Vedas say with one voice that the limit cannot be found; other scriptures speak of eighteen thousand worlds, but the truth is that there is one Source. If it could be written down it would be, but the writer ends before the account does. Nanak says: call the One great; only the One knows itself.
सालाही सालाहि एती सुरति न पाईआ ॥नदीआ अतै वाह पवहि समुंदि न जाणीअहि ॥समुंद साह सुलतान गिरहा सेती मालु धनु ॥कीड़ी तुलि न होवनी जे तिसु मनहु न वीसरहि ॥२३॥
sālāhī sālāhi etī surati na pāīā ||nadīā atai vāh pavahi samuṃdi na jāṇīahi ||samuṃd sāh sulatān girahā setī mālu dhanu ||kīḍaī tuli na hovanī je tisu manahu na vīsarahi ||23||
Those who praise the One keep praising, yet do not gain the understanding of how great the One is, just as rivers and streams flow into the ocean without knowing its vastness. Kings and emperors with oceans of wealth and mountains of riches are not equal even to an ant, if that ant does not forget the One in its heart.
अंतु न सिफती कहणि न अंतु ॥अंतु न करणै देणि न अंतु ॥अंतु न वेखणि सुणणि न अंतु ॥अंतु न जापै किआ मनि मंतु ॥अंतु न जापै कीता आकारु ॥अंतु न जापै पारावारु ॥अंत कारणि केते बिललाहि ॥ता के अंत न पाए जाहि ॥एहु अंतु न जाणै कोइ ॥बहुता कहीऐ बहुता होइ ॥वडा साहिबु ऊचा थाउ ॥ऊचे उपरि ऊचा नाउ ॥एवडु ऊचा होवै कोइ ॥तिसु ऊचे कउ जाणै सोइ ॥जेवडु आपि जाणै आपि आपि ॥नानक नदरी करमी दाति ॥२४॥
aṃtu na siphatī kahaṇi na aṃtu ||aṃtu na karaṇai deṇi na aṃtu ||aṃtu na vekhaṇi suṇaṇi na aṃtu ||aṃtu na jāpai kiā mani maṃtu ||aṃtu na jāpai kītā ākāru ||aṃtu na jāpai pārāvāru ||aṃt kāraṇi kete bilalāhi ||tā ke aṃt na pāe jāhi ||ehu aṃtu na jāṇai koi ||bahutā kahīai bahutā hoi ||vaḍā sāhibu ūcā thāu ||ūce upari ūcā nāu ||evaḍu ūcā hovai koi ||tisu ūce kau jāṇai soi ||jevaḍu āpi jāṇai āpi āpi ||nānak nadarī karamī dāti ||24||
There is no end to the praises of the One, no end to describing them, no end to the doing and the giving, no end to what is seen and heard, and no end to knowing the mind of the One or the limits of creation. Many long to know the limits, yet no one can find them; the more is said, the more remains. Great is the Master and high the place, higher than high the Name; only one as great and high could know the One. Only the One knows how great the One is; Nanak says every gift comes through the gracious glance.
bahutā karamu likhiā nā jāi ||vaḍā dātā tilu na tamāi ||kete maṃgahi jodh apār ||ketiā gaṇat nahī vīcāru ||kete khapi tuṭahi vekār ||kete lai lai mukaru pāhi ||kete mūrakh khāhī khāhi ||ketiā dūkh bhūkh sad mār ||ehi bhi dāti terī dātār ||baṃdi khalāsī bhāṇai hoi ||horu ākhi na sakai koi ||je ko khāiku ākhaṇi pāi ||ohu jāṇai jetīā muhi khāi ||āpe jāṇai āpe dei ||ākhahi si bhi keī kei ||jis no bakhase siphati sālāh ||nānak pātisāhī pātisāhu ||25||
The One's generosity is so vast it cannot be written; the great Giver has not the slightest greed. Countless warriors beg at that door, many waste away in vice, many receive and then deny it, many foolish ones simply keep consuming, and many endure pain, hunger and hardship; even these, says Nanak, are Your gifts. Release from bondage comes by Your will, and no one else has any say; a fool who claims otherwise will learn through hard blows. The One knows and gives, though few acknowledge it; whoever is blessed to sing the One's praise, Nanak says, is a king of kings.
amul guṇ amul vāpār ||amul vāpārīe amul bhaṃḍār ||amul āvahi amul lai jāhi ||amul bhāi amulā samāhi ||amulu dharamu amulu dībāṇu ||amulu tulu amulu paravāṇu ||amulu bakhasīs amulu nīsāṇu ||amulu karamu amulu phuramāṇu ||amulo amulu ākhiā na jāi ||ākhi ākhi rahe liv lāi ||ākhahi ved pāṭh purāṇ ||ākhahi paḍae karahi vakhiāṇ ||ākhahi barame ākhahi iṃd ||ākhahi gopī tai goviṃd ||ākhahi īsar ākhahi sidh ||ākhahi kete kīte budh ||ākhahi dānav ākhahi dev ||ākhahi suri nar muni jan sev ||kete ākhahi ākhaṇi pāhi ||kete kahi kahi uṭhi uṭhi jāhi ||ete kīte hori karehi ||tā ākhi na sakahi keī kei ||jevaḍu bhāvai tevaḍu hoi ||nānak jāṇai sācā soi ||je ko ākhai boluvigāḍau ||tā likhīai siri gāvārā gāvāru ||26||
Priceless are the virtues of the One, priceless the dealings, the dealers and the treasures; priceless those who come and what they take away; priceless the love and the absorption; priceless the divine justice, the court, the scales and weights; priceless the gifts, the sign of grace and the command. All of this is beyond any price and beyond telling, yet those who keep describing it remain absorbed in love. The Vedas, the Puranas, the learned, gods, siddhs, sages, demons and humans all speak of the One, many tried and gave up, and even if as many again were made, they could not describe it; the One is as great as the One wishes to be. Nanak says only the True One knows, and whoever boasts of describing the One is written down as the greatest fool.
सो दरु केहा सो घरु केहा जितु बहि सरब समाले ॥वाजे नाद अनेक असंखा केते वावणहारे ॥केते राग परी सिउ कहीअनि केते गावणहारे ॥गावहि तुहनो पउणु पाणी बैसंतरु गावै राजा धरमु दुआरे ॥गावहि चितु गुपतु लिखि जाणहि लिखि लिखि धरमु वीचारे ॥गावहि ईसरु बरमा देवी सोहनि सदा सवारे ॥गावहि इंद इदासणि बैठे देवतिआ दरि नाले ॥गावहि सिध समाधी अंदरि गावनि साध विचारे ॥गावनि जती सती संतोखी गावहि वीर करारे ॥गावनि पंडित पड़नि रखीसर जुगु जुगु वेदा नाले ॥गावहि मोहणीआ मनु मोहनि सुरगा मछ पइआले ॥गावनि रतन उपाए तेरे अठसठि तीरथ नाले ॥गावहि जोध महाबल सूरा गावहि खाणी चारे ॥गावहि खंड मंडल वरभंडा करि करि रखे धारे ॥सेई तुधुनो गावहि जो तुधु भावनि रते तेरे भगत रसाले ॥होरि केते गावनि से मै चिति न आवनि नानकु किआ वीचारे ॥सोई सोई सदा सचु साहिबु साचा साची नाई ॥है भी होसी जाइ न जासी रचना जिनि रचाई ॥रंगी रंगी भाती करि करि जिनसी माइआ जिनि उपाई ॥करि करि वेखै कीता आपणा जिव तिस दी वडिआई ॥जो तिसु भावै सोई करसी हुकमु न करणा जाई ॥सो पातिसाहु साहा पातिसाहिबु नानक रहणु रजाई ॥२७॥
so daru kehā so gharu kehā jitu bahi sarab samāle ||vāje nād anek asaṃkhā kete vāvaṇahāre ||kete rāg parī siu kahīani kete gāvaṇahāre ||gāvahi tuhano pauṇu pāṇī baisaṃtaru gāvai rājā dharamu duāre ||gāvahi citu gupatu likhi jāṇahi likhi likhi dharamu vīcāre ||gāvahi īsaru baramā devī sohani sadā savāre ||gāvahi iṃd idāsaṇi baiṭhe devatiā dari nāle ||gāvahi sidh samādhī aṃdari gāvani sādh vicāre ||gāvani jatī satī saṃtokhī gāvahi vīr karāre ||gāvani paṃḍit paḍani rakhīsar jugu jugu vedā nāle ||gāvahi mohaṇīā manu mohani suragā mach paiāle ||gāvani ratan upāe tere aṭhasaṭhi tīrath nāle ||gāvahi jodh mahābal sūrā gāvahi khāṇī cāre ||gāvahi khaṃḍ maṃḍal varabhaṃḍā kari kari rakhe dhāre ||seī tudhuno gāvahi jo tudhu bhāvani rate tere bhagat rasāle ||hori kete gāvani se mai citi na āvani nānaku kiā vīcāre ||soī soī sadā sacu sāhibu sācā sācī nāī ||hai bhī hosī jāi na jāsī racanā jini racāī ||raṃgī raṃgī bhātī kari kari jinasī māiā jini upāī ||kari kari vekhai kītā āpaṇā jiv tis dī vaḍiāī ||jo tisu bhāvai soī karasī hukamu na karaṇā jāī ||so pātisāhu sāhā pātisāhibu nānak rahaṇu rajāī ||27||
The pauri asks: what is that gate, and what is that home, where You sit and care for all? There countless instruments sound and countless musicians play and sing in many ragas; air, water and fire sing, and the judge of dharma sings with the recorders of deeds; gods, goddesses, siddhs, sages, the celibate, the truthful, the content, brave warriors, scholars, the beauties of all worlds, the treasures and sacred places, all the sources of life and all the worlds sing of You, as do the devotees who please You, imbued with love, and many more than can be imagined. That One is true, the true Master of the true Name, who is and will be and will never depart, who created the universe in all its colours and kinds and watches over it as pleases that greatness. The One does as the One wills and no one can give orders to the One; that One is the King of kings, and Nanak says we should remain within that will. Pauri 27 is also found, with small variations, as the Shabad So Dar in Rehras Sahib.
Addressing the yogis of the time, this pauri turns their outward signs into inner virtues. Make contentment your earrings, modesty (some read honest effort) your begging bowl and bag, and meditation your ashes; let awareness of death be your patched coat, a pure body your way of life, and faith in the One your staff. Let fellowship with all humanity be your highest order, for by conquering the mind one conquers the world. The pauri closes with a greeting to the One: salutation to the Primal, Pure, beginningless, indestructible One, who remains the same through all the ages.
Let divine knowledge be your food and compassion the one who serves it, and hear the sacred sound resounding in every heart. The One is the true Master who holds all in hand, while miraculous powers and riches are other tastes that lead one astray. Union and separation together keep the world moving, and each receives their share as written. The pauri again closes with salutation to the Primal, Pure, beginningless, indestructible One, the same through all the ages.
ekā māī jugati viāī tini cele paravāṇu ||iku saṃsārī iku bhaṃḍārī iku lāe dībāṇu ||jiv tisu bhāvai tivai calāvai jiv hovai phuramāṇu ||ohu vekhai onā nadari na āvai bahutā ehu viḍāṇu ||ādesu tisai ādesu ||ādi anīlu anādi anāhati jugu jugu eko vesu ||30||
It is said that one mother, through a mysterious union, gave birth to three accepted disciples: one who creates the world, one who sustains it, and one who holds court and ends it (commonly understood as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). Sikh commentators read this as Guru Nanak Dev Ji addressing a popular belief and showing that all three act only as the One wills and commands. The One watches over them, yet they do not see the One: this is the great wonder. Salutation to the Primal, Pure, beginningless, indestructible One, the same through all the ages.
आसणु लोइ लोइ भंडार ॥जो किछु पाइआ सु एका वार ॥करि करि वेखै सिरजणहारु ॥नानक सचे की साची कार ॥आदेसु तिसै आदेसु ॥आदि अनीलु अनादि अनाहति जुगु जुगु एको वेसु ॥३१॥
āsaṇu loi loi bhaṃḍār ||jo kichu pāiā su ekā vār ||kari kari vekhai sirajaṇahāru ||nānak sace kī sācī kār ||ādesu tisai ādesu ||ādi anīlu anādi anāhati jugu jugu eko vesu ||31||
The One's seat and storehouses are in every world, and whatever was placed in them was placed once and for all. The Creator makes the creation and watches over it; Nanak says the work of the True One is true. Salutation to the Primal, Pure, beginningless, indestructible One, the same through all the ages.
If one tongue became a hundred thousand, and those became twenty times more, and each repeated the one Name of the Lord of the world a hundred thousand times, these would be the steps of the ladder on the path to the Beloved; climbing them, one becomes one with the One. Hearing talk of high spiritual realms, even the lowly long to imitate it. Nanak says the One is found through grace; the boasting of the false is false.
आखणि जोरु चुपै नह जोरु ॥जोरु न मंगणि देणि न जोरु ॥जोरु न जीवणि मरणि नह जोरु ॥जोरु न राजि मालि मनि सोरु ॥जोरु न सुरती गिआनि वीचारि ॥जोरु न जुगती छुटै संसारु ॥जिसु हथि जोरु करि वेखै सोइ ॥नानक उतमु नीचु न कोइ ॥३३॥
ākhaṇi joru cupai nah joru ||joru na maṃgaṇi deṇi na joru ||joru na jīvaṇi maraṇi nah joru ||joru na rāji māli mani soru ||joru na suratī giāni vīcāri ||joru na jugatī chuṭai saṃsāru ||jisu hathi joru kari vekhai soi ||nānak utamu nīcu na koi ||33||
We have no power to speak or to keep silent, no power to beg or to give, no power to live or to die, no power to rule with wealth and the mind's restless pride. We have no power to gain awareness, knowledge or contemplation, and no power to find the way free of the world. The One in whose hands all power lies acts and watches; Nanak says no one is high or low by their own power.
This begins the five khands, or realms, of the spiritual journey. Amid nights, seasons, lunar days and weekdays, amid air, water, fire and the lower worlds, the One set the earth in place as a dharamsal, a home for right action. On it live beings of countless kinds, ways and colours, with endless names, and each is judged by their own deeds, for the One is true and the court is true. There the accepted ones shine, marked by grace, and the unripe and the ripe are sorted; Nanak says this becomes clear on arriving there. In simple terms, Dharam Khand is the realm of duty: life on earth is a place to act rightly and be accountable.
धरम खंड का एहो धरमु ॥गिआन खंड का आखहु करमु ॥केते पवण पाणी वैसंतर केते कान महेस ॥केते बरमे घाड़ति घड़ीअहि रूप रंग के वेस ॥केतीआ करम भूमी मेर केते केते धू उपदेस ॥केते इंद चंद सूर केते केते मंडल देस ॥केते सिध बुध नाथ केते केते देवी वेस ॥केते देव दानव मुनि केते केते रतन समुंद ॥केतीआ खाणी केतीआ बाणी केते पात नरिंद ॥केतीआ सुरती सेवक केते नानक अंतु न अंतु ॥३५॥
dharam khaṃḍ kā eho dharamu ||giān khaṃḍ kā ākhahu karamu ||kete pavaṇ pāṇī vaisaṃtar kete kān mahes ||kete barame ghāḍati ghaḍaīahi rūp raṃg ke ves ||ketīā karam bhūmī mer kete kete dhū upades ||kete iṃd caṃd sūr kete kete maṃḍal des ||kete sidh budh nāth kete kete devī ves ||kete dev dānav muni kete kete ratan samuṃd ||ketīā khāṇī ketīā bāṇī kete pāt nariṃd ||ketīā suratī sevak kete nānak aṃtu na aṃtu ||35||
Having described the realm of duty, the pauri turns to Gian Khand, the realm of knowledge. Here the seeker's understanding opens to the vastness of creation: countless airs, waters and fires, countless Krishnas and Shivas, countless Brahmas fashioning forms of every colour, countless lands of action, mountains and teachings, countless Indras, moons, suns, worlds and regions, countless siddhs, buddhas, naths and goddesses, gods, demons, sages, jewels and oceans, sources of life, languages, kings and rulers, ways of devotion and devoted servants. Nanak says there is no end to it, no end at all. In simple terms, Gian Khand is the awakening of knowledge that sees how vast the One's creation is and how small one's own place in it.
In Gian Khand, knowledge blazes brightly, and there is music, delight and boundless joy. Then comes Saram Khand, whose language is beauty: there the mind is fashioned anew into something beyond compare, in ways that cannot be described, and whoever tries to describe them regrets it. There awareness, mind and intellect are shaped, and the understanding of the gods and siddhs is formed. Commentators differ on 'saram': many read it as effort or spiritual striving, others as humility; either way it is the stage where the self is carefully reshaped.
करम खंड की बाणी जोरु ॥तिथै होरु न कोई होरु ॥तिथै जोध महाबल सूर ॥तिन महि रामु रहिआ भरपूर ॥तिथै सीतो सीता महिमा माहि ॥ता के रूप न कथने जाहि ॥ना ओहि मरहि न ठागे जाहि ॥जिन कै रामु वसै मन माहि ॥तिथै भगत वसहि के लोअ ॥करहि अनंदु सचा मनि सोइ ॥सच खंडि वसै निरंकारु ॥करि करि वेखै नदरि निहाल ॥तिथै खंड मंडल वरभंड ॥जे को कथै त अंत न अंत ॥तिथै लोअ लोअ आकार ॥जिव जिव हुकमु तिवै तिव कार ॥वेखै विगसै करि वीचारु ॥नानक कथना करड़ा सारु ॥३७॥
karam khaṃḍ kī bāṇī joru ||tithai horu na koī horu ||tithai jodh mahābal sūr ||tin mahi rāmu rahiā bharapūr ||tithai sīto sītā mahimā māhi ||tā ke rūp na kathane jāhi ||nā ohi marahi na ṭhāge jāhi ||jin kai rāmu vasai man māhi ||tithai bhagat vasahi ke loa ||karahi anaṃdu sacā mani soi ||sac khaṃḍi vasai niraṃkāru ||kari kari vekhai nadari nihāl ||tithai khaṃḍ maṃḍal varabhaṃḍ ||je ko kathai ta aṃt na aṃt ||tithai loa loa ākār ||jiv jiv hukamu tivai tiv kār ||vekhai vigasai kari vīcāru ||nānak kathanā karaḍaā sāru ||37||
The language of Karam Khand, the realm of grace, is spiritual power: there no one else dwells, only the mighty and brave, filled through and through with the all-pervading Lord, and those wholly woven into praise, whose beauty cannot be told. They do not die and are not deceived, for the Lord dwells in their minds; devotees of many worlds live there in joy, with the True One in their hearts. In Sach Khand, the realm of truth, the Formless One abides, creating and watching over creation with a glance of grace; there are continents, worlds and universes without end, all moving as the One commands, and the One beholds them and rejoices. Nanak says that to describe this is as hard as iron. Some read the word for those 'woven into praise' as a name, Sita; most Sikh commentators take it as describing devotees.
This pauri uses the image of a goldsmith's workshop or mint. Let self-restraint be the furnace and patience the goldsmith; let understanding be the anvil and divine knowledge the hammer; let awe of the One be the bellows and disciplined living the fire; let love be the crucible, and in it melt the nectar of the Name. In such a true mint the Shabad, the divine Word, is forged, and a person's life is shaped by it like a well-struck coin. Only those blessed with the gracious glance take up this work, and Nanak says the Gracious One makes them blissful with a single look.
पवणु गुरू पाणी पिता माता धरति महतु ॥दिवसु राति दुइ दाई दाइआ खेलै सगल जगतु ॥चंगिआईआ बुरिआईआ वाचै धरमु हदूरि ॥करमी आपो आपणी के नेड़ै के दूरि ॥जिनी नामु धिआइआ गए मसकति घालि ॥नानक ते मुख उजले केती छुटी नालि ॥१॥
Air is the Guru, water the father, and the earth the great mother; day and night are the two nurses in whose lap the whole world plays. Good and bad deeds are read out in the presence of divine justice, and by their own actions some come near and some remain far. Those who meditated on the Naam and lived by honest effort depart with their work complete; Nanak says their faces shine, and many others are set free along with them. By Sikh tradition this salok is attributed to Guru Angad Dev Ji.
Reading Gurbani with respect
Most Sikhs, following the Sikh Rehat Maryada, take the Mool Mantar to end at 'Gur Prasad'. Some traditions recite on through the opening salok, ending at 'Hosi bhi sach'. Both are practised with devotion.
The meanings here are simple explanations in plain language, not translations of equal standing. Sikhs understand Gurbani in its own Gurmukhi, and many words carry layers that no translation can hold. Where commentators differ, the common reading is given and the variation noted.
Out of respect, many people cover their heads, remove their shoes and sit attentively when reading or listening to Gurbani. Visitors of every background are welcome to do the same.
The punctuation marks inside the Gurmukhi lines are vishraam marks, which guide where to pause in recitation so that the meaning comes through clearly.
Quick quiz
According to pauri 1, how does one become truthful and break the wall of falsehood?
Pauri 2 says that whoever understands Hukam no longer speaks in what?
Which time of day does pauri 4 point to for reflecting on the True Name?
Pauris 8 to 11 each begin with suniai. What does it mean?
In pauri 16, what is the true 'bull' that holds the earth in place?
In pauri 20, what washes the mind when it is stained by wrongdoing?
Which is the first of the five khands described in pauri 34?
Gurbani text: Shabad OS database (public domain; vishraam marks as recorded there), angs 1 to 8 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Devanagari and Roman guides are generated from the Gurmukhi. Meanings, notes and quiz: IndiaDigital, awaiting review by a Sikh scholar. Gurbani is never read aloud by a machine voice here. Shabad OS
Corrections from members of every tradition are welcome at support@indiadigital.org. Last checked: .