Japji | Internet Sacred Text Archive

Sikhism

DIVINE SERVICES BY GURU NANAK AND OTHER GURUS

THE JAPJI[1]

THERE is but one God whose name is true, the Creator,[2] devoid of fear and enmity, immortal, unborn, self-existent by the favour of the Guru.[4]

REPEAT HIS NAME

The True One was in the beginning; the True One was in the primal age.

The True One is[5] now also, O Nanak; the True One also shall be.[6]

[1. The Japji is considered by the Sikhs a key to their sacred volume and an epitome of its doctrines. It is silently repeated by the Sikhs early in the morning. Every Sikh must have it by heart, otherwise he is not deemed orthodox. It is the duty of all Sikhs, even if they cannot read, to have themselves taught this eat morning divine service. The composition appears to have been the work of Guru Nânak in advanced age.

2. Karta purukh. It is perhaps not necessary to translate the word purukh. It means male or creative agency. The all-pervading spirit in union with a female element uttered a word from which sprang creation.

3. Saibhan is derived from the Sanskrit swayambhu, which we have found in this passage in a very ancient Sikh MS.

4 Gur Parsâd. We have translated these words in deference to the opinions of the majority of the Sikhs; but with several carried gyânis we have no doubt that they were intended as epithets of God--the great and bountiful. Guru Nanak had no human guru; as we have already seen, his guru was God. It was during the spiritual supremacy of his Successors the favour of the Guru was invoked, and deemed indispensable for deliverance. Moreover, though gur parsâd does sometimes in the Granth Sâhib mean the Guru's favour, this appears to be more often expressed by gur parsâdi.

5. Bhi. There are two bhis in this line which some say are idiomatic. We have very little doubt that the first bhi is an obsolete past tense of the defective verb bhu, and that the verse ought to be translated 'The True One is, was, and also shall be.' Compare--'Guru Nânak, Shahu hai, bhi, hosi.'--Sûhi Ashtapadi 1.

6. Also translated--

God was true in the beginning, he was true in the primal age

He is true now also, Nânak, and He also will be true.

{footnote p. 196} This translation appears to be unmeaning, for it is not doubted that God was true in all ages. With the translation in the text compare {Greek E?gw' ei`mi pa^n to' gegonos, kai` o?'n, kai` e?so'menon}, 'I am all that was, and is, and will be.'--Inscription on a Greek temple.]

{p. 196}

I

By thinking I cannot obtain a conception of Him, even though I think hundreds of thousands of times.

Even though I be silent and keep my attention firmly fixed on Him, I cannot preserve silence.

The hunger of the hungry for God subsideth not though they obtain the load of the worlds.