Japji Sahib

1One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace ~

2Name of the Composition, "Jup". Chant And Meditate:

3True In The Primal Beginning. True Throughout The Ages.

4True Here And Now. O Nanak, Forever And Ever True. ||1||

5Even if one bathes hundreds of thousands of times, the mind does not become cleansed.

6By remaining silent, inner silence is not obtained, even by remaining lovingly absorbed deep within.

7The hunger of the hungry is not appeased, even by piling up loads of worldly goods.

8Hundreds of thousands of clever tricks, but not even one of them will go along with you in the end.

9So how can you become truthful? And how can the veil of falsehood be torn away?

10O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command, and walk in the Way of His Will. ||1||

11By His Command, bodies are created; His Command cannot be described.

12By His Command, souls come into being; by His Command, glory and greatness are obtained.

13By His Command, some are high and some are low; by His Written Command, pain and pleasure are obtained.

14Some, by His Command, are blessed and forgiven; others, by His Command, wander aimlessly forever.

15Everyone is subject to His Command; no one is beyond His Command.

16O Nanak, one who understands His Command, does not speak in ego. ||2||

17Some sing of His Power-who has that Power?

18Some sing of His Gifts, and know His Sign and Insignia.

19Some sing of His Glorious Virtues, Greatness and Beauty.

20Some sing of knowledge obtained of Him, through difficult philosophical studies.

21Some sing that He fashions the body, and then again reduces it to dust.

22Some sing that He takes life away, and then again restores it.

23Some sing that He seems so very far away.

24Some sing that He watches over us, face to face, ever-present.

25There is no shortage of those who preach and teach.

26Millions upon millions offer millions of sermons and stories.

27The Great Giver keeps on giving, while those who receive grow weary of receiving.

28Throughout the ages, consumers consume.

29The Commander, by His Command, leads us to walk on the Path.

30O Nanak, He blossoms forth, Carefree and Untroubled. ||3||

31True is the Master, True is His Name-speak it with infinite love.

32People beg and pray, ""Give to us, give to us"", and the Great Giver gives His Gifts.

33So what offering can we place before Him, by which we might see the Darbaar of His Court?

34What words can we speak to evoke His Love?

35In the Amrit Vaylaa, the ambrosial hours before dawn, chant the True Name, and contemplate His Glorious Greatness.

36By the karma of past actions, the robe of this physical body is obtained. By His Grace, the Gate of Liberation is found.

37O Nanak, know this well: the True One Himself is All. ||4||

38He cannot be established, He cannot be created.

39He Himself is Immaculate and Pure.

40Those who serve Him are honored.

41O Nanak, sing of the Lord, the Treasure of Excellence.

42Sing, and listen, and let your mind be filled with love.

43Your pain shall be sent far away, and peace shall come to your home.

44The Guru's Word is the Sound-current of the Naad; the Guru's Word is the Wisdom of the Vedas; the Guru's Word is all-pervading.

45The Guru is Shiva, the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma; the Guru is Paarvati and Lakhshmi.

46Even knowing God, I cannot describe Him; He cannot be described in words.

47The Guru has given me this one understanding:

48there is only the One, the Giver of all souls. May I never forget Him! ||5||

49If I am pleasing to Him, then that is my pilgrimage and cleansing bath. Without pleasing Him, what good are ritual cleansings?

50I gaze upon all the created beings: without the karma of good actions, what are they given to receive?

51Within the mind are gems, jewels and rubies, if you listen to the Guru's Teachings, even once.

52The Guru has given me this one understanding:

53there is only the One, the Giver of all souls. May I never forget Him! ||6||

54Even if you could live throughout the four ages, or even ten times more,

55and even if you were known throughout the nine continents and followed by all,

56with a good name and reputation, with praise and fame throughout the world-

57still, if the Lord does not bless you with His Glance of Grace, then who cares? What is the use?

58Among worms, you would be considered a lowly worm, and even contemptible sinners would hold you in contempt.

59O Nanak, God blesses the unworthy with virtue, and bestows virtue on the virtuous.

60No one can even imagine anyone who can bestow virtue upon Him. ||7||

61Listening-the Siddhas, the spiritual teachers, the heroic warriors, the yogic masters.

62Listening-the earth, its support and the Akaashic ethers.

63Listening-the oceans, the lands of the world and the nether regions of the underworld.

64Listening-Death cannot even touch you.

65O Nanak, the devotees are forever in bliss.

66Listening-pain and sin are erased. ||8||

67Listening-Shiva, Brahma and Indra.

68Listening-even foul-mouthed people praise Him.

69Listening-the technology of Yoga and the secrets of the body.

70Listening-the Shaastras, the Simritees and the Vedas.

71O Nanak, the devotees are forever in bliss.

72Listening-pain and sin are erased. ||9||

73Listening-truth, contentment and spiritual wisdom.

74Listening-take your cleansing bath at the sixty-eight places of pilgrimage.

75Listening-reading and reciting, honor is obtained.

76Listening-intuitively grasp the essence of meditation.

77O Nanak, the devotees are forever in bliss.

78Listening-pain and sin are erased. ||10||

79Listening-dive deep into the ocean of virtue.

80Listening-the Shaykhs, religious scholars, spiritual teachers and emperors.

81Listening-even the blind find the Path.

82Listening-the Unreachable comes within your grasp.

83O Nanak, the devotees are forever in bliss.

84Listening-pain and sin are erased. ||11||

85The state of the faithful cannot be described.

86One who tries to describe this shall regret the attempt.

87No paper, no pen, no scribe

88can record the state of the faithful.

89Such is the Name of the Immaculate Lord.

90Only one who has faith comes to know such a state of mind. ||12||

91The faithful have intuitive awareness and intelligence.

92The faithful know about all worlds and realms.

93The faithful shall never be struck across the face.

94The faithful do not have to go with the Messenger of Death.

95Such is the Name of the Immaculate Lord.

96Only one who has faith comes to know such a state of mind. ||13||

97The path of the faithful shall never be blocked.

98The faithful shall depart with honor and fame.

99The faithful do not follow empty religious rituals.

100The faithful are firmly bound to the Dharma.

101Such is the Name of the Immaculate Lord.

102Only one who has faith comes to know such a state of mind. ||14||

103The faithful find the Door of Liberation.

104The faithful uplift and redeem their family and relations.

105The faithful are saved, and carried across with the Sikhs of the Guru.

106The faithful, O Nanak, do not wander around begging.

107Such is the Name of the Immaculate Lord.

108Only one who has faith comes to know such a state of mind. ||15||

109The chosen ones, the self-elect, are accepted and approved.

110The chosen ones are honored in the Court of the Lord.

111The chosen ones look beautiful in the courts of kings.

112The chosen ones meditate single-mindedly on the Guru.

113No matter how much anyone tries to explain and describe them,

114the actions of the Creator cannot be counted.

115The mythical bull is Dharma, the son of compassion;

116this is what patiently holds the earth in its place.

117One who understands this becomes truthful.

118What a great load there is on the bull!

119So many worlds beyond this world-so very many!

120What power holds them, and supports their weight?

121The names and the colors of the assorted species of beings

122were all inscribed by the Ever-flowing Pen of God.

123Who knows how to write this account?

124Just imagine what a huge scroll it would take!

125What power! What fascinating beauty!

126And what gifts! Who can know their extent?

127You created the vast expanse of the Universe with One Word!

128Hundreds of thousands of rivers began to flow.

129How can Your Creative Potency be described?

130I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

131Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

132You, Eternal and Formless One! ||16||

133Countless meditations, countless loves.

134Countless worship services, countless austere disciplines.

135Countless scriptures, and ritual recitations of the Vedas.

136Countless Yogis, whose minds remain detached from the world.

137Countless devotees contemplate the Wisdom and Virtues of the Lord.

138Countless the holy, countless the givers.

139Countless heroic spiritual warriors, who bear the brunt of the attack in battle (who with their mouths eat steel).

140Countless silent sages, vibrating the String of His Love.

141How can Your Creative Potency be described?

142I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

143Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

144You, Eternal and Formless One. ||17||

145Countless fools, blinded by ignorance.

146Countless thieves and embezzlers.

147Countless impose their will by force.

148Countless cut-throats and ruthless killers.

149Countless sinners who keep on sinning.

150Countless liars, wandering lost in their lies.

151Countless wretches, eating filth as their ration.

152Countless slanderers, carrying the weight of their stupid mistakes on their heads.

153Nanak describes the state of the lowly.

154I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

155Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

156You, Eternal and Formless One. ||18||

157Countless names, countless places.

158Inaccessible, unapproachable, countless celestial realms.

159Even to call them countless is to carry the weight on your head.

160From the Word, comes the Naam; from the Word, comes Your Praise.

161From the Word, comes spiritual wisdom, singing the Songs of Your Glory.

162From the Word, come the written and spoken words and hymns.

163From the Word, comes destiny, written on one's forehead.

164But the One who wrote these Words of Destiny-no words are written on His Forehead.

165As He ordains, so do we receive.

166The created universe is the manifestation of Your Name.

167Without Your Name, there is no place at all.

168How can I describe Your Creative Power?

169I cannot even once be a sacrifice to You.

170Whatever pleases You is the only good done,

171You, Eternal and Formless One. ||19||

172When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty,

173water can wash away the dirt.

174When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine,

175soap can wash them clean.

176But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin,

177it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.

178Virtue and vice do not come by mere words;

179actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul.

180You shall harvest what you plant.

181O Nanak, by the Hukam of God's Command, we come and go in reincarnation. ||20||

182Pilgrimages, austere discipline, compassion and charity

183these, by themselves, bring only an iota of merit.

184Listening and believing with love and humility in your mind,

185cleanse yourself with the Name, at the sacred shrine deep within.

186All virtues are Yours, Lord, I have none at all.

187Without virtue, there is no devotional worship.

188I bow to the Lord of the World, to His Word, to Brahma the Creator.

189He is Beautiful, True and Eternally Joyful.

190What was that time, and what was that moment? What was that day, and what was that date?

191What was that season, and what was that month, when the Universe was created?

192The Pandits, the religious scholars, cannot find that time, even if it is written in the Puraanas.

193That time is not known to the Qazis, who study the Koran.

194The day and the date are not known to the Yogis, nor is the month or the season.

195The Creator who created this creation-only He Himself knows.

196How can we speak of Him? How can we praise Him? How can we describe Him? How can we know Him?

197O Nanak, everyone speaks of Him, each one wiser than the rest.

198Great is the Master, Great is His Name. Whatever happens is according to His Will.

199O Nanak, one who claims to know everything shall not be decorated in the world hereafter. ||21||

200There are nether worlds beneath nether worlds, and hundreds of thousands of heavenly worlds above.

201The Vedas say that you can search and search for them all, until you grow weary.

202The scriptures say that there are 18,000 worlds, but in reality, there is only One Universe.

203If you try to write an account of this, you will surely finish yourself before you finish writing it.

204O Nanak, call Him Great! He Himself knows Himself. ||22||

205The praisers praise the Lord, but they do not obtain intuitive understanding

206the streams and rivers flowing into the ocean do not know its vastness.

207Even kings and emperors, with mountains of property and oceans of wealth

208-these are not even equal to an ant, who does not forget God. ||23||

209Endless are His Praises, endless are those who speak them.

210Endless are His Actions, endless are His Gifts.

211Endless is His Vision, endless is His Hearing.

212His limits cannot be perceived. What is the Mystery of His Mind?

213The limits of the created universe cannot be perceived.

214Its limits here and beyond cannot be perceived.

215Many struggle to know His limits,

216but His limits cannot be found.

217No one can know these limits.

218The more you say about them, the more there still remains to be said.

219Great is the Master, High is His Heavenly Home.

220Highest of the High, above all is His Name.

221Only one as Great and as High as God

222can know His Lofty and Exalted State.

223Only He Himself is that Great. He Himself knows Himself.

224O Nanak, by His Glance of Grace, He bestows His Blessings. ||24||

225His Blessings are so abundant that there can be no written account of them.

226The Great Giver does not hold back anything.

227There are so many great, heroic warriors begging at the Door of the Infinite Lord.

228So many contemplate and dwell upon Him, that they cannot be counted.

229So many waste away to death engaged in corruption.

230So many take and take again, and then deny receiving.

231So many foolish consumers keep on consuming.

232So many endure distress, deprivation and constant abuse.

233Even these are Your Gifts, O Great Giver!

234Liberation from bondage comes only by Your Will.

235No one else has any say in this.

236If some fool should presume to say that he does,

237he shall learn, and feel the effects of his folly.

238He Himself knows, He Himself gives.

239Few, very few are those who acknowledge this.

240One who is blessed to sing the Praises of the Lord,

241O Nanak, is the king of kings. ||25||

242Priceless are His Virtues, Priceless are His Dealings.

243Priceless are His Dealers, Priceless are His Treasures.

244Priceless are those who come to Him, Priceless are those who buy from Him.

245Priceless is Love for Him, Priceless is absorption into Him.

246Priceless is the Divine Law of Dharma, Priceless is the Divine Court of Justice.

247Priceless are the scales, priceless are the weights.

248Priceless are His Blessings, Priceless is His Banner and Insignia.

249Priceless is His Mercy, Priceless is His Royal Command.

250Priceless, O Priceless beyond expression!

251Speak of Him continually, and remain absorbed in His Love.

252The Vedas and the Puraanas speak.

253The scholars speak and lecture.

254Brahma speaks, Indra speaks.

255The Gopis and Krishna speak.

256Shiva speaks, the Siddhas speak.

257The many created Buddhas speak.

258The demons speak, the demi-gods speak.

259The spiritual warriors, the heavenly beings, the silent sages, the humble and serviceful speak.

260Many speak and try to describe Him.

261Many have spoken of Him over and over again, and have then arisen and departed.

262If He were to create as many again as there already are,

263even then, they could not describe Him.

264He is as Great as He wishes to be.

265O Nanak, the True Lord knows.

266If anyone presumes to describe God,

267he shall be known as the greatest fool of fools! ||26||

268Where is that Gate, and where is that Dwelling, in which You sit and take care of all?

269The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates there, and countless musicians play on all sorts of instruments there.

270So many Ragas, so many musicians singing there.

271The praanic wind, water and fire sing; the Righteous Judge of Dharma sings at Your Door.

272Chitr and Gupt, the angels of the conscious and the subconscious who record actions, and the Righteous Judge of Dharma who judges this record sing.

273Shiva, Brahma and the Goddess of Beauty, ever adorned, sing.

274Indra, seated upon His Throne, sings with the deities at Your Door.

275The Siddhas in Samaadhi sing; the Saadhus sing in contemplation.

276The celibates, the fanatics, the peacefully accepting and the fearless warriors sing.

277The Pandits, the religious scholars who recite the Vedas, with the supreme sages of all the ages, sing.

278The Mohinis, the enchanting heavenly beauties who entice hearts in this world, in paradise, and in the underworld of the subconscious sing.

279The celestial jewels created by You, and the sixty-eight holy places of pilgrimage sing.

280The brave and mighty warriors sing; the spiritual heroes and the four sources of creation sing.

281The planets, solar systems and galaxies, created and arranged by Your Hand, sing.

282They alone sing, who are pleasing to Your Will. Your devotees are imbued with the Nectar of Your Essence.

283So many others sing, they do not come to mind. O Nanak, how can I consider them all?

284That True Lord is True, Forever True, and True is His Name.

285He is, and shall always be. He shall not depart, even when this Universe which He has created departs.

286He created the world, with its various colors, species of beings, and the variety of Maya.

287Having created the creation, He watches over it Himself, by His Greatness.

288He does whatever He pleases. No order can be issued to Him.

289He is the King, the King of kings, the Supreme Lord and Master of kings. Nanak remains subject to His Will. ||27||

290Make contentment your ear-rings, humility your begging bowl, and meditation the ashes you apply to your body.

291Let the remembrance of death be the patched coat you wear, let the purity of virginity be your way in the world, and let faith in the Lord be your walking stick.

292See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own mind, and conquer the world.

293I bow to Him, I humbly bow.

294The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end. Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same. ||28||

295Let spiritual wisdom be your food, and compassion your attendant. The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates in each and every heart.

296He Himself is the Supreme Master of all; wealth and miraculous spiritual powers, and all other external tastes and pleasures, are all like beads on a string.

297Union with Him, and separation from Him, come by His Will. We come to receive what is written in our destiny.

298I bow to Him, I humbly bow.

299The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end. Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same. ||29||

300The One Divine Mother conceived and gave birth to the three deities.

301One, the Creator of the World; One, the Sustainer; and One, the Destroyer.

302He makes things happen according to the Pleasure of His Will. Such is His Celestial Order.

303He watches over all, but none see Him. How wonderful this is!

304I bow to Him, I humbly bow.

305The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end. Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same. ||30||

306On world after world are His Seats of Authority and His Storehouses.

307Whatever was put into them, was put there once and for all.

308Having created the creation, the Creator Lord watches over it.

309O Nanak, True is the Creation of the True Lord.

310I bow to Him, I humbly bow.

311The Primal One, the Pure Light, without beginning, without end. Throughout all the ages, He is One and the Same. ||31||

312If I had 100,000 tongues, and these were then multiplied twenty times more, with each tongue,

313I would repeat, hundreds of thousands of times, the Name of the One, the Lord of the Universe.

314Along this path to our Husband Lord, we climb the steps of the ladder, and come to merge with Him.

315Hearing of the etheric realms, even worms long to come back home.

316O Nanak, by His Grace He is obtained. False are the boastings of the false. ||32||

317No power to speak, no power to keep silent.

318No power to beg, no power to give.

319No power to live, no power to die.

320No power to rule, with wealth and occult mental powers.

321No power to gain intuitive understanding, spiritual wisdom and meditation.

322No power to find the way to escape from the world.

323He alone has the Power in His Hands. He watches over all.

324O Nanak, no one is high or low. ||33||

325Nights, days, weeks and seasons;

326wind, water, fire and the nether regions

327in the midst of these, He established the earth as a home for Dharma.

328Upon it, He placed the various species of beings.

329Their names are uncounted and endless.

330By their deeds and their actions, they shall be judged.

331God Himself is True, and True is His Court.

332There, in perfect grace and ease, sit the self-elect, the self-realized Saints.

333They receive the Mark of Grace from the Merciful Lord.

334The ripe and the unripe, the good and the bad, shall there be judged.

335O Nanak, when you go home, you will see this. ||34||

336This is righteous living in the realm of Dharma.

337And now we speak of the realm of spiritual wisdom.

338So many winds, waters and fires; so many Krishnas and Shivas.

339So many Brahmas, fashioning forms of great beauty, adorned and dressed in many colors.

340So many worlds and lands for working out karma. So very many lessons to be learned!

341So many Indras, so many moons and suns, so many worlds and lands.

342So many Siddhas and Buddhas, so many Yogic masters. So many goddesses of various kinds.

343So many demi-gods and demons, so many silent sages. So many oceans of jewels.

344So many ways of life, so many languages. So many dynasties of rulers.

345So many intuitive people, so many selfless servants. O Nanak, His limit has no limit! ||35||

346In the realm of wisdom, spiritual wisdom reigns supreme.

347The Sound-current of the Naad vibrates there, amidst the sounds and the sights of bliss.

348In the realm of humility, the Word is Beauty.

349Forms of incomparable beauty are fashioned there.

350These things cannot be described.

351One who tries to speak of these shall regret the attempt.

352The intuitive consciousness, intellect and understanding of the mind are shaped there.

353The consciousness of the spiritual warriors and the Siddhas, the beings of spiritual perfection, are shaped there. ||36||

354In the realm of karma, the Word is Power.

355No one else dwells there,

356except the warriors of great power, the spiritual heroes.

357They are totally fulfilled, imbued with the Lord's Essence.

358Myriads of Sitas are there, cool and calm in their majestic glory.

359Their beauty cannot be described.

360Neither death nor deception comes to those,

361within whose minds the Lord abides.

362The devotees of many worlds dwell there.

363They celebrate; their minds are imbued with the True Lord.

364In the realm of Truth, the Formless Lord abides.

365Having created the creation, He watches over it. By His Glance of Grace, He bestows happiness.

366There are planets, solar systems and galaxies.

367If one speaks of them, there is no limit, no end.

368There are worlds upon worlds of His Creation.

369As He commands, so they exist.

370He watches over all, and contemplating the creation, He rejoices.

371O Nanak, to describe this is as hard as steel! ||37||

372Let self-control be the furnace, and patience the goldsmith.

373Let understanding be the anvil, and spiritual wisdom the tools.

374With the Fear of God as the bellows, fan the flames of tapa, the body's inner heat.

375In the crucible of love, melt the Nectar of the Name,

376and mint the True Coin of the Shabad, the Word of God.

377Such is the karma of those upon whom He has cast His Glance of Grace.

378O Nanak, the Merciful Lord, by His Grace, uplifts and exalts them. ||38||

379Shalok:

380Air is the Guru, Water is the Father, and Earth is the Great Mother of all.

381Day and night are each like the nanny and her caregiving husband, in whose lap the whole world is at play.

382Good deeds and bad deeds-the record is read out in the Presence of the Lord of Dharma.

383According to their own actions, some are drawn closer, and some are driven farther away.

384Those who have meditated on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and departed after having worked by the sweat of their brows

385-O Nanak, their faces are radiant in the Court of the Lord, and many are saved along with them! ||1||