38th Pauri of Japji
POSTURE: Sit in Easy Pose, with a straight spine.
MUDRA: The hands are resting on the knees in Gyan Mudra (first fingers and thumb tips are touching).
EYES: The eyes may be open or closed.
MANTRA: The 38th Pauri of Japji Sahib.
TIME: 11 times.
Jat pāhārā dhīraj suni-ār.
Let self-control be the furnace, and patience the goldsmith.
aharaṉ mat vayd hathī-ār.
Let understanding be the anvil, and spiritual wisdom the tools.
bha-u khalā agan tap tā-u.
With the Fear of God as the bellows, fan the flames of tapa, the body’s inner heat.
bhānḏā bhā-u amrit tit ḏhāl.
In the crucible of love, melt the Nectar of the Name,
ghaṟī-ai sabad sachī ṯakasāl.
and mint the True Coin of the Shabad, the Word of God.
jin ka-u nadar karam tin kār.
Such is the karma of those upon whom He has cast His Glance of Grace.
nānak nadarī nadar nihāl. ||38||
O Nānak, the Merciful Lord, by His Grace, uplifts and exalts them. ||38||
As a little girl, I remember my mother reciting the 25th and 38th pauris of Japji every day as she brushed my hair or drove me to school. At the time, it was soothing and comforting to hear my mother’s sweet voice singing the pauris 11 times each in a simple melody. It wasn’t until I was older that I had an understanding of what the words meant or what affect they had.
The 25th pauri (Bahuta Karam) is well known for bringing wealth, gifts and prosperity and yet the Siri Singh Sahib Ji taught my mother and many others the importance of also reciting the 38th pauri (Jat Pahara) to bring oneself to a state of higher consciousness; to gracefully handle and sustain the wealth and prosperity gained from the 25th pauri. It is a part of the Raj Jog consciousness where you need the higher heavenly energy to manifest the gifts from the earthly plane. The two go hand in hand.
That was my introduction and initial training of the 38th pauri. My personal experience of the power of this pauri continued into my adult life and I found it to be a touchstone for keeping me connected to the highest good. When I was faced with challenges and uncertainty, I recited the 38th pauri and found clarity, understanding, patience and always, a way through the obstacle.
The Siri Singh Sahib Ji said the following about the 38th pauri of Jap Ji in his lecture dated July 18th, 1979.
“Thirty-eighth pauri, you will find majority of mental difficulty cleared out. It is the power given by Nanak.”
“I tell you one woman did it and she was successful. She told her husband, ‘I have to read this pauri for 120 days and you should promise, in case I can’t, that you will.’ So to cover her up, he read it and all his mental disability got cleared out.”
“It’s a very small pauri, every husband can read it if he wants to. It gives clarity of thought, inductive, deductive and a pattern style of the faculty of the Eastern Hemisphere. Eastern Hemisphere of the brain gives you a possibility of the original thought, whereas the Western Hemisphere gives you the projection and to always coordinate Eastern and Western Hemispheres of the brain which is the left side and right side of the brain into the unison-ness, so that you can know clearly. This is the mantra and it is the 38th pauri”. ~ The Siri Singh Sahib Yogi Bhajan 7/18/1979
Listen to 11 repetitions of this pauri:
Listen to 11 musical repetitions of this pauri:
Prem Arora says:
Thanks for proper expiation of 38th Pauli of japji sahib which is the real gist of vedanta in very loving and simple language by our realised Guru Nanak ji.
Christine Marie says:
I visit your site every day to recite the 25th and 38th Pauris. I love the song-versions you have of these. I feel like I’m dancing with the universe. Thank you for offering this resource! Please let me know how I might best demonstrate my gratitude ❤️
OngKar Kaur Khalsa says:
Wahe Guru. So glad to hear your beautiful description, Christine. Keep dancing! :)
Tej Singh says:
In the first recording the 38 pauri is recited 12 times.
OngKar Kaur Khalsa says:
Wahe Guru! One extra blessing!
Allan Christian Kagaoan says:
Hi, can we recite the 4th pauri, followed by the 25th, then the 38th? Or should it only be the 25th pauri first then the 38th?
Pritpal Singh Khalsa says:
Allan – Yes, you can recite these Pauris in any order but it is still recommended that you read the full Japji Sahib either before or after you recited any of these Pauris.
Jagjit says:
Wahegurji, can you recite more than 11 at a time, eg 21 or even 108 each pairing ??
Pritpal Singh Khalsa says:
Jagjit – there are no rules here. Just use your intuition to guide you.
Tej singh says:
What if we read these two pauris in Japji sahib after having heard the recitation 11 times.
Pritpal Singh Khalsa says:
Tej Singh – it is not clear what you are asking. Can you give more details in the question?
Tej singh says:
It says, we need to listen to the recitation of 25th and 38th pauri, 11 times only now my question is what if after having completed the recitation 11 times, i read or listen to japji sahib, then i am exceeding or breaking the cycle.
Is it alright to do so.
Pritpal Singh Khalsa says:
Tej Singh – if you want to read the full Japji Sahib either before or after repeating 25th and 38th Pauris 11 times each, that is always fine. You do not need to worry about reading/reciting too much of Japji Sahib. Notice how you feel after trying this one way, then change it and see how you feel. There are no rules in this.
Circe says:
There is a mistake on this blog post, it says “MANTRA: The 25th pauri”, though the 38th is being listed below.
OngKar Kaur Khalsa says:
Thank you for pointing that out. It has been corrected. Sat Nam.
anna says:
is it okay if i recite 5th, 25th and 38th pauri together?
i mean first 5th pauri 11 times then 25th 11 times and then 38th 11 times?
Also please tell if we have to recite 11 times early morning or anytime of the day?
OngKar Kaur Khalsa says:
Sat Nam Anna,
Yes, it is wonderful to recite as many pauris each day as you feel called to. Any daily spiritual practice is amplified in the early morning hours, but can also be administered any time of day.
Iqbal says:
Personal experience-
Karta purukh, nir vaer—.
Hear, Listen, and believe
Har Sharan Kaur says:
Sat Nam, how do you connect the 25th and the 38th pauri? First 11 repetitions of the 25th and then 11 repetitions of the 38th?
Sada Bahar Kaur Khalsa says:
Sat Nam Har Sharan Kaur, Thank you for the question! Recite the 11 repetitions of the 25th Paurie first and then follow with the 11 repetitions of the 38th Paurie. blessings
Har Sharan Kaur says:
Thank you so much for your answer! Wahe Guru!
Leena khatri says:
Satnam ji
Thank you so much ji
OngKar Kaur Khalsa says:
Wahe Guru! :)
Avtar Shabad Kaur says:
Thank you so much for sharing this. Prior to finding your explanation… I was trying to select the 25th pauri however, I accidentally (haha…no such thing) selected the 38th pauri. Then I came across your post…and all the pieces fit! Sat nam, ji
In gratitude,
Avtarshabad Kaur
OngKar Kaur Khalsa says:
Wahe Guru! So glad to hear. :)
Guruchiter Khalsa says:
Is there a link to down load MP3
Guru Prakash Kaur Khalsa says:
Sat Nam. Please see download links added below each of the audio players.
Balbir singh says:
Excellent rendering og 38 puri of japji sahib
Guru Prakash Kaur Khalsa says:
Thank you! Sat Nam.