18th Pauree
The Eighteenth Pauree fights madness,
deep feelings of inferiority, and self-destructive behavior.
Excerpted from the book Guru Nanak’s Call of the Soul: Japji Sahib:
In the 18th pauree, Guru Nanak continues to describe the vastness of the universe and how countless are those who inhabit it. Here he describes the countless who are of lower consciousness, who are dishonest, rancorous, and deceptive.
So, in this pauree, Guru Nanak describes those people and the behavior that we should avoid, just as in the previous pauree he described the traits we should aspire to. He tells us that while all happens according to the Divine Will, he also tells us that we have free will. He is saying that we have a choice and that the Formless One always protects us when we act. This is at once humbling, yet empowering.
Asankh Nindak Sir Kareh Bhaar – there are so many slanderers, they are taking the load over their head. Head is used here because the destiny is written on the forehead. They are not only corrupt, though their destiny is written good, they are going to ruin it by taking the weight of it. Because, if you have something swimming, little by little and if you go on putting weight on its head, it will bend and it will drown.
~ Siri Singh Sahib – October 14, l985
18th Pauree
Asankh moorakh andh ghor. Asankh chor haraamkhor.
Asankh amar kar jaa-ei jor. Asankh galvadh hati-aa kamaa-eh.
Asankh paapee paap kar jaa-ei. Asankh koorri-aar koorray firaa-eh.
Asankh malaychh mal bhakh khaa-eh. Asankh nindak sir kareh bhaar.
Naanak neech kehai veechaar. Vaari-aa na jaavaa ayk vaar.
Jo tudh bhaavai saa-ee bhalee kaar. Too sadaa salaamat nirankaar. ]18]
Countless are the fools, blinded by ignorance. Countless are the thieves and embezzlers.
Countless are those who impose their will by force. Countless are the cut-throats and ruthless killers.
Countless are the sinners who keep on sinning. Countless are the liars, wandering lost in their lies.
Countless are the wretches, eating filth as their ration. Countless are the slanderers, carrying the weight of their stupid mistakes on their heads.
Nanak describes the state of the lowly. I cannot even once be a sacrifice to the One.
Whatever pleases the One is the only good done. You, Eternal and Formless One.
Musical Recitation
Enjoy this beautiful musical recitation of the 18th Pauree of Japji Sahib by Meditative Mind.
Need to practice your pronunciation of Japji Sahib?
One of the best ways to learn how to recite Japji is to listen to and read along with someone else reciting it.
To help with that, we have a FREE Japji for the Aquarian Age App for IOS and Android. Once you download it, you can use it to recite the complete Japji Sahib in your daily practice, or you can choose the “Repeat Paurees” feature and follow along with the recitation of each section of Japji Sahib.
A special 40 week practice of reciting Japji Sahib is to recite one section 11x a day for one week and then do the same for the next section and so on, until over 40 weeks, you’ve completed a practice of reciting each of the 40 sections of Japji Sahib 11x a day for a week.
Here are instructions for downloading the Japji for the Aquarian Age App
In Guru Nanak’s Call of the Soul: Japji Sahib, by Gurutej Singh Khalsa with Shanti Kaur Khalsa, Based on the teachings of Siri Singh Sahib Yogi Bhajan:
In Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak touches the deepest essence of individual consciousness, elevating one to the universal consciousness. Japji is made up of 40 remarkable segments where Guru Nanak not only explains the mysteries of the cosmos, but also gives us spiritual instruction that we can follow to achieve the same experience of higher consciousness that Guru Nanak embodied. In this book the Mul Mantra and each of the 38 paurees of Japji, plus the Slok, are explained from a spiritual as well as historical perspective, enhanced by the teachings of Siri Singh Sahib Yogi Bhajan. It is our sincere prayer that this book will open up to you the miraculous wonder of Japji Sahib.
194 pages including an in-depth exploration of the 40 sections of Japji Sahib, 48 full color illustrations, 15 meditations that enhance the effects of the pauris, pronunciation guide and glossary and a foreword by Bhai Sahiba, Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa, PhD. Includes beautiful full-color paintings by Sewa Singh and Sewa Kaur.
Visit our Marketplace if you are interested in purchasing this book.
Kartapurkh Khalsa says:
Thank you for this app. Certain pauri s do not repeat properly I can use the single repetitions, all English or all transliteration or all Gurmukhi perfectly well. The double presentation english/Gurmukhi and Gurmukhi/transliteration not so well. Still, I am enjoying and learning
OngKar Kaur Khalsa says:
Thank you for letting us know about the issues you are having with the app. We will share this information with our developers. Sat Nam.
Teena says:
One can only experience the Power and Love of Gurbani when it is recited, listened to and applied in daily life. It gives you a natural high and when you reach that level of consciousness You don’t care to come down. You become One with the Almighty.