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Introduction :
Jap Ji
Sahib is the fundamental morning prayer of the sikhs, composed by
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, being the first composition of Sri Guru Granth
Sahib Ji. It consists of the mool mantra followed by 38 stanzas of
bani and then a slok . But why is recitation of Jap Ji, with full
understanding of each and every word of it, so important? It is
because Jap Ji can act as a spiritual guide for every human being
by answering many of the fundamental questions that crop up in the
mind of any humble seeker. It possesses the potential to act as a
light which can initiate any person on a spiritual journey by
clearing various doubts about the real nature of God, his
attributes, how the world came into existence, with whose command
it functions, the various stages of spiritual progress, the method
of realizing the Supreme, the significance of following the Divine
Will, how everything in nature is governed by the Divine Will,
the method and importance of getting rid of one’s ego and how it
helps in God realization, how different people see Him in
different forms, how the Divine Ordinance holds the reigns of this
world, the grandeur of that Benevolent Lord, the importance of His
Grace in achieving Him, how to become capable of receiving his
Grace and the method of attaining Him.
The mool
mantar presents the attributes of God and real nature of the
Supreme one who runs the cosmos and whom we are to worship. It
affirms that God is one and exists unchanged through different
ages permeating every iota of this universe. He is fearless, free
from birth and death, evolved from Himself, inimical to no one,
True in the present and future . He can be achieved only by the
Grace of True Guru. Mool mantar is followed by the bani Jap Ji.
The first
stanza tells us that the only way God can be attained is by
following His Will or ‘Hukam’. It discards all other methods (like
maintaining physical cleanliness, meditating in silence, acquiring
all material objects, application of one’s wits) to attain
liberation and unison with that one God as illusory. The second
stanza illustrates as to how everything works according to the
Divine Will and how understanding of this Will is attained by
losing one’s ego. The third stanza states how the different beings
express his different qualities and greatness but none can express
completely or accurately what his real form is, though millions
have tried to do so innumerable times. The fourth one answers two
very important questions as how to get a glimpse of His Divine
Portal and become worthy of His love. The fifth stanza talks about
some qualities and attributes of the Divine and reveals that the
different names like Shiva, Paravati etc represent that one God
only . The sixth one discards ritual purification like bathing at
holy places suggesting that all holy places can be discovered
within by adhering to the Divine Will. The seventh stanza
emphasizes that all worldly accomplishments are worthless without
his Grace. Stanzas eighth to eleventh express the fruits and
rewards of listening His Name. By listening is implied singing
Lords praises which may be in the form of kirtan or by recitation
of Gurbani. By so doing man attains the status of austeres, saints
and Demi Gods, gains awareness of the secrets of nature, becomes
fearless of death, gets rid of the burden of his sins, attains the
respect and reverence enjoyed by the learned ,gains intricate
knowledge of the Vedas and other religious scriptures, earns the
virtue acquired by bathing at sixty eight pilgrimages, attains the
status of scholars, saints and kings and gains awareness of the
secrets of the unfathomable life ocean . Stanzas 12 to 15 talk
about accepting His Divine Will and the state of a believer who
does so. A believer’s state is indescribable. He gains wisdom and
knowledge of the secrets of the entire cosmos. His mind is attuned
to a higher consciousness being not obstructed by the obstacles of
this world. He becomes free from the cycle of births and deaths,
earns respect and reverence before departing for the next world. A
believer finds the door to emancipation and guides others across
the worldly ocean. All needs of such a believer are directly
fulfilled by God. Stanza sixteen discusses the state and grandeur
of the one who has heard and believed the Divine Will. His mind is
fully trained to contemplate the Divine, thus he is accepted by
the Divine as His own and he shows others the way to follow suit.
Such men are honoured at the Divine portal. This stanza further
discusses the greatness of God and His creation which cannot be
demystified by ordinary mortals. The seventeenth one discusses the
countless humans who are absorbed in devotion chanting His Name,
in austerities, in reciting scriptures such as Vedas, in living
the detached lives of recluses, in contemplating His qualities,
in seeking truth, in charities, in bearing the brunt of weapons on
their faces or in silent meditation. But none of them is able to
perceive the real nature of God or His creation by such means.
Stanza eighteen says that there are countless who indulge in
negative activities but all this happens in accordance with the
Divine Will. Stanza nineteen expresses the Grandeur of that great
Lord’s Name which permeates the entire cosmos and how words fail
to express his magnanimity. Stanza twenty explains that our sins
can be washed only by chanting of Lord’s Name, and that one takes
along to the next world an account of his good and bad deeds. But
one can escape the karmic law (wash away his sins) by chanting the
Divine Name. The twenty first states that virtuous tasks like
charity, pilgrimages or austerities earn one only miniscule of
honour, so the real objective should be to chant Lord’s Name .
Then it talks about the mystery of world’s creation. The twenty
second talks about the inexpressible magnanimity of this universe.
Stanza 23 and 24 further establish that no one can make an
estimate of God’s grandeur or of His creation. Stanza 25 iterates
that God is the bestower of all bounties, though people at large
remain thankless for the precious gifts that He grants and His
greatest gift is the blessing to chant His Name. Stanza 26
establishes that the great Lord is beyond all measures and all
efforts to gauge His expanse can only be fruitless. Only the great
God Himself knows of the magnitude of His greatness. Stanza 27
affirms that all entities of this universe, living and non living,
sing His praises and He is the Supreme authority who runs this
universe. Stanza 28 and 29 specify the virtues that one must
imbibe and the objectives that one should yearn for in this life.
It is further urged that one must respect the Immaculate Lord who
controls everything in this universe. Stanza 30 and 31 declare God
to be the real doer, the real creator and controller of every
activity in this cosmos. Stanza 32 instructs that a person can
attain God only through His Grace by losing his ego, all other
efforts being useless. Stanza 33 establishes the Divine
Omnipotence and how individuals possess no ability or power of
their own. Stanza 34 mentions how God created this earth and how
the Karmic law operates to reward and punish people. This is in
the region of Dharma Khand(the realm of Spiritual Duty). Stanza 35
mentions the knowledge attained in Gian Khand(the realm of
knowledge) . Stanza 36 specifies how the mind is shaped in Saram
Khand (the realm of spiritual action). Stanza 37 specifies the
attributes of a devotee as he progresses into Karma Khand(Realm of
Divine Grace ) and then Sach Khand(Realm of Truth) and his
heightened levels of awareness . Stanza 38 mentions how one can
one can become worthy of Lord’s benevolence. Jap Ji ends with a
slok by Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Guru of sikhs, which
describes the Lord’s creation, mentions the operation of Karmic
law and reaffirms that those who chant Lord’s Name can
successfully cross the worldly ocean.
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