Japji Sahib - 3rd Pauree – Sikh Dharma International

3rd Pauree

The Third Pauree transforms insufficiency into sufficiency, turns depression into elevation

and transforms low self-esteem into complete self-confidence.

Artwork by Sewa Singh Khalsa (www.sikhphotos.com)

Excerpted from the book Guru Nanak’s Call of the Soul: Japji Sahib:

In the third pauree Guru Nanak asks, who has the power, depth, and comprehension to sing the praises of the One? Some sing of the greatness and virtues of God. Some sing of the One as the Creator. Some sing of the One as the Destroyer. Guru Nanak describes the many paths to the One, and gives us an appreciation of the many ways that God is experienced. He honors the way all people worship, but tells us that even if you put together all the millions of prayers, sermons, and preaching you still cannot fully express the greatness of the One. Guru Nanak uses the word Gavai, which is translated as “to sing.” In Mul Mantra, Guru instructs us to Jap, which is to chant or recite. Yet singing and recitation are subtly different. Guru Nanak tells us that merely reciting is insufficient; we must recite with love and devotion. There is no better way to feel and express that love and devotion than through singing. Guru Nanak advises us in the 3rd pauree to get God’s attention by singing His praises.

As humans, it is our nature to only give when we feel love, and to take when we are fearful and insecure. Guru Nanak tells us that the One keeps on giving and never stops. In God consciousness there is no insecurity and no fear (nirbha-o, nirvair). Yet as long as we focus on maya, the illusion of the phenomenal world, and hold a deep unfulfilled longing for it, we keep taking and taking until our time on earth has finished. Yet still, the One continues to give. Guru Nanak goes on to tell us that God, the Great Giver, never tires of giving. It is the receivers (that’s us!) who eventually can take no more. We accept, collect, and possess until we grow weary; can do it no more and finally leave our bodies. All the ages through we have done this. We keep on consuming through the cycle of birth and death.

“Daydaa day lainday thak paa-eh. Jugga jugantar khaahee khaa-eh. Those who get, they get tired. The Giver never gets tired. Giving is a state of consciousness. Giving is the quality of the mind. Giving is the personality of God. Giving cannot be limited. When you limit the giving then you are corrupt. Giving is endless.”

Siri Singh Sahib – December 15, 1980

Finally, Guru Nanak clarifies that the Commander (Hukmee) by His Command (Hukam) gives us the incredible gift of walking on the spiritual path. As we walk on the path of consciousness, the One blossoms into our lives. That blossoming occurs carefree and without effort. There grows a feeling of freedom as we experience that the most powerful attribute of the One is benevolence.

Musical Recitations

Enjoy these beautiful recitations of the 3rd Pauree courtesy of the SikhNet Gurbani Media Center:

Wahe Guru Kaur (WHA!)

Snatam Kaur – Malaysia 2005

Third Pauree – Snatam

Gyani Sahib Singh (Markanda)

Professor Satnam Singh Sethi

3rd Pauree

Gaavai ko taann hovai kisai taann.

Gaavai ko daat jaannai neeshaann.

Gaavai ko gunn vaddiaa-eeaa chaar.

Gaavai ko vidiaa vikham veechaar.

Gaavai ko saaj karay tann khayh.

Gaavai ko jee-a lai fir dayh.

Gaavai ko jaapai disai door.

Gaavai ko vaykhay haadaraa hadoor.

Kathanaa kathee na avai tott.

Kath kath kathee kottee kott kott.

Daydaa day lainday thak paa-eh.

Jugaa jugantar khaahee khaa-eh.

Hukamee hukam chalaa-ay raahu.

Naanak vigasai vayparvaahu. II 3 II

Some sing of the divine power – who has that power?

Some sing of divine gifts, and know the divine sign and insignia.

Some sing of the glorious virtues and beauty of the One.

Some sing of knowledge obtained of the One, through difficult philosophical studies.

Some sing that the Divine One fashions the body, and then again reduces it to dust.

Some sing that the Divine One takes life away, and then again restores it.

Some sing that the Divine One seems so very far away.

Some sing that the Divine One watches over us, face to face, ever-present.

There is no shortage of those who preach and teach.

Millions upon millions offer millions of sermons and stories.

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

Throughout the ages, consumers consume.

The Commanding Oneness by divine Command, leads us to walk on the path.

O Nanak, the Divine blossoms forth, carefree and untroubled.

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.

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