The first Pauri ended by saying that for one to be treated Sachiaar or truthful, s/he must carry out the tasks for which s/he was given human birth. This is ‘Hukam rajaai chalna’ living by Divine commands. The commands are not arbitrary but are according to the laws of nature. It amounts to leading life [...]

Japu, which means remembering or reciting again and again, is the name of the first composition in Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS), the Sikh holy book which has the status of the eternal living guru; its contents are also called Gurbani, the guru’s word. Japu reverently called Japji is preceded by a prologue called the [...]

We are in the process of discussing the five Khands in Japji. The first three namely Dharam Khand, the Realm of Duty, Giaan Khand the Realm of Knowledge and Saram Khand the Realm of effort were sequentially discussed in Pauris 34 to 36. These three lie in human domain in that they are to be [...]

Japji now proceeds to describe the stages of spiritual development that could lead to achievement of the ultimate goal of human life namely merger with the Divine Spirit from which the soul emanated. These stages are called Khans or Realms and denote the progressive development of state of human mind .For this purpose there is [...]

All the preceding Pauris of Japji may be taken as conditioning the mind to make efforts to be one with the Creator. Pauris 32 and 33 now provide guidance for the preparation for that union. A common perception about God is Its being somewhere up beyond human reach. To be able to meet God therefore [...]

After having somewhat described the indescribable Creator’s virtues, the creation and the relationship between them Japji now brings us near the ultimate in spirituality – to be one with the Creator even though the latter is formless. Union with the Creator is the opportunity provided to the human birth and should be availed of. However [...]

The preceding Pauris of Japji have described the virtues of the Creator, the creation with its diverse nature and the inability of the mortal to figure out all that. The 27th Pauri brings out the harmony in all that exists with all components of the universe performing their function in a mutually supporting manner. The [...]

Pauri 16 had stated: ਜੇ ਕੋ ਕਹੈ ਕਰੈ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ ॥ ਕਰਤੇ ਕੈ ਕਰਣੈ ਨਾਹੀ ਸੁਮਾਰੁ ॥ Some one who tries to describe or contemplate, would find that it is not possible to count or measure what the Creator does. Similarly in Pauris 17 to 19 had mentioned the countless phenomena in the universe. Pauris 24 [...]

Japji has 38 Pauris and the second half starts with Pauri 20. In this Guru Nanak elaborates the subjects discussed in the first half. The theme of an unlimited and diverse universe with the human’s place in it continues. Pauri 2 said: ਇਕਨਾ ਹੁਕਮੀ ਬਖਸੀਸ ਇਕਿ ਹੁਕਮੀ ਸਦਾ ਭਵਾਈਅਹਿ ॥ In accordance with the laws [...]

Japji has 38 Pauris (stanzas). Pauris 16 to 19 describe the process of creation and diversity in nature. All people are the creation of one God. Different people act differently but the Creator maintains Its eternal virtues unchanged. Five types of actions for spiritual advancement were mentioned in Pauri 5: ਜਿਨਿ ਸੇਵਿਆ ਤਿਨਿ ਪਾਇਆ ਮਾਨੁ [...]

The first four Pauris of Japji deal with Hukam, the preordained Divine commands or the laws of nature. The fourth Pauri also introduced the concept of Mokh also called Mukti or salvation. It also brings out the futility of rituals. We mortals are unable to understand what is preordained for us and what leads to [...]

Pauris 1 and 2 of Japji describe the need to obey Hukam, the Divine commands which manifest as the laws of nature. Hukam can be obeyed if we know what it is. It is not easy for an ordinary mortal to know this and he (or she) has to seek the guidance of the guru. [...]

    Japu, which means remembering or reciting again and again, is the name of the first composition in Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS), the Sikh holy book. It has the status of a living guru; its contents are also called Gurbani, the guru’s word.   Japu reverently called Japji is preceded by a prologue [...]

Believing – Mannai There are five aids to spiritual advancement – Living by Hukam or Divine will, Remembering God’s virtues, listening. believing and emulating. This paper is about believing and emulating. It means accepting what one learns and putting it into practice. It also means complying with Hukam or Divine commands as also the guru’s [...]