Part 25 — Japji Sahib: “I know”
Pauri 21: Outer religion vs inner cleansing — and the ego-trap of “I know”
Where we are in Japji (1–2 lines)
After Pauri 20, Japji made the distinction between outer washing and inner cleansing.
Now Pauri 21 deepens that: it shows how easy it is to chase religious respect (maan), and how the ego disguises itself as “knowledge” — even about the origin of the universe.
Full pauri (Gurmukhi + Romanisation + Ang)
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji — Ang 4–5
Gurmukhi
ਤੀਰਥੁ ਤਪੁ ਦਇਆ ਦਤੁ ਦਾਨੁ ॥
ਜੇ ਕੋ ਪਾਵੈ ਤਿਲ ਕਾ ਮਾਨੁ ॥
ਸੁਣਿਆ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਮਨਿ ਕੀਤਾ ਭਾਉ ॥
ਅੰਤਰਗਤਿ ਤੀਰਥਿ ਮਲਿ ਨਾਉ ॥
ਸਭਿ ਗੁਣ ਤੇਰੇ ਮੈ ਨਾਹੀ ਕੋਇ ॥
ਵਿਣੁ ਗੁਣ ਕੀਤੇ ਭਗਤਿ ਨ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਸੁਅਸਤਿ ਆਥਿ ਬਾਣੀ ਬਰਮਾਉ ॥
ਸਤਿ ਸੁਹਾਣੁ ਸਦਾ ਮਨਿ ਚਾਉ ॥
ਕਵਣੁ ਸੁ ਵੇਲਾ ਵਖਤੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਕਵਣ ਥਿਤਿ ਕਵਣੁ ਵਾਰੁ ॥
ਕਵਣਿ ਸਿ ਰੁਤੀ ਮਾਹੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਜਿਤੁ ਹੋਆ ਆਕਾਰੁ ॥
ਵੇਲ ਨ ਪਾਈਆ ਪੰਡਤੀ ਜਿ ਹੋਵੈ ਲੇਖੁ ਪੁਰਾਣੁ ॥
ਵਖਤੁ ਨ ਪਾਇਓ ਕਾਦੀਆ ਜਿ ਲਿਖਨਿ ਲੇਖੁ ਕੁਰਾਣੁ ॥
ਥਿਤਿ ਵਾਰੁ ਨਾ ਜੋਗੀ ਜਾਣੈ ਰੁਤਿ ਮਾਹੁ ਨਾ ਕੋਈ ॥
ਜਾ ਕਰਤਾ ਸਿਰਠੀ ਕਉ ਸਾਜੇ ਆਪੇ ਜਾਣੈ ਸੋਈ ॥
ਕਿਵ ਕਰਿ ਆਖਾ ਕਿਵ ਸਾਲਾਹੀ ਕਿਉ ਵਰਨੀ ਕਿਵ ਜਾਣਾ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਆਖਣਿ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਆਖੈ ਇਕ ਦੂ ਇਕੁ ਸਿਆਣਾ ॥
ਵਡਾ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਵਡੀ ਨਾਈ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾ ਕਾ ਹੋਵੈ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਜੇ ਕੋ ਆਪੌ ਜਾਣੈ ਅਗੈ ਗਇਆ ਨ ਸੋਹੈ ॥੨੧॥
Romanisation (learning aid)
tirath tap da-i-aa dat daan ||
je ko pavai til kaa maan ||
sunia mannia man kita bhao ||
antargat tirath mal nao ||
sabh gun tere mai naahee koi ||
vin gun kite bhagat na hoi ||
su-asat aath baanee barmao ||
sat suhaan sada man chao ||
kavan su vela vakhat kavan kavan thit kavan vaar ||
kavan se rutee maah kavan jit hoa aakar ||
vel na paa-ee-aa pandtee je hovai lekh puraan ||
vakhat na paio kadia je likhan lekh kuraan ||
thit vaar naa jogee jaanai rut maah naa koi ||
jaa kartaa sirthi kau saaje aape jaanai soi ||
kiv kar aakhaa kiv salaahi kio varnee kiv jaanaa ||
naanak aakhan sabh ko aakhai ik do ik siaanaa ||
vadaa sahib vadee naa-ee keetaa jaa kaa hovai ||
naanak je ko aapou jaanai agai gayaa na sohai ||21||
Plain-English sense rendering (learning aid, not a “final translation”)
A safe way to hear this pauri:
Pilgrimage, austerity, compassion, and charity — even if they earn you a little respect — are not the point.
The turning point is deeper:
listening, trusting, and letting love take root in the mind —
so the “bath” happens inside, at the inner shrine, by Naam.
Then the humility:
All virtue belongs to You; I have none of my own.
Without virtue, devotion doesn’t actually happen.
Then the ego-trap of speculation:
People try to pin down the exact “time” and “date” of creation.
But scholars, judges, and yogis cannot find it — because the Creator alone knows.
So the posture becomes:
How can we speak of Him? praise Him? describe Him? know Him?
And the warning lands:
Everyone talks, each claiming to be wiser than the next.
Great is the Master; great is His Name; whatever happens is within His doing.
O Nanak: the one who claims “I know it all” does not shine in the beyond.
Learning focus (what this trains)
1) Don’t turn religion into “maan”
This pauri names a quiet danger:
doing outwardly “good” or “religious” things to collect status.
Japji isn’t attacking compassion or giving.
It’s attacking the ego’s hunger to be seen as spiritual.
2) Inner cleansing is the real “tirath”
Japji reframes pilgrimage:
the deepest cleansing is antargat tirath — the inner shrine —
washed by Naam (lived remembrance), not by travel or performance.
3) Knowledge can become haumai
The creation‑time questions aren’t random.
They expose a pattern:
If I can “solve” Reality like a puzzle, I can feel superior.
Japji breaks that:
the Creator alone knows the full origin — and humility is the right stance.
4) The final correction: stop claiming
The pauri doesn’t end with “now you know.”
It ends with: don’t pretend you know everything.
That’s how credibility begins — spiritually and intellectually.
Key word reminders (brief)
Tirath: pilgrimage / sacred bathing — used here to point to a deeper, inner cleansing.
Tap: austerity/discipline (often outwardly visible).
Maan: respect/status — the ego’s favourite spiritual currency.
Naam: Reality remembered until it reforms character (not a slogan).
Haumai: the “I‑me‑mine” addiction — including the form that says “I know.”
One Anchor
If my practice increases “maan,” I should check whether it’s cleansing me — or only decorating me.
10‑second practice
For ten seconds, ask:
What am I doing today for maan — even subtly?
Then do one quiet inner‑cleansing act:
one honest admission,
one restraint (don’t react / don’t gossip),
one act of compassion with no audience,
one minute of “Naam-remembering” before you speak.
No performance. Just truth.
Verify block (so you don’t have to trust me)
SGGS location: Ang 4–5 (Japji Sahib, Pauri 21)
Pauri begins (Ang 4): “ਤੀਰਥੁ ਤਪੁ ਦਇਆ ਦਤੁ ਦਾਨੁ ॥”
Pauri continues through (end of Ang 4): “…ਕਿਵ ਕਰਿ ਆਖਾ ਕਿਵ ਸਾਲਾਹੀ ਕਿਉ ਵਰਨੀ ਕਿਵ ਜਾਣਾ ॥”
Pauri ends (Ang 5): “ਨਾਨਕ ਜੇ ਕੋ ਆਪੌ ਜਾਣੈ ਅਗੈ ਗਇਆ ਨ ਸੋਹੈ ॥੨੧॥”
Validation checklist (do this once, then you’ll trust the process):
Confirm the pauri starts on Ang 4 with “ਤੀਰਥੁ…”
Confirm “ਕਿਵ ਕਰਿ ਆਖਾ…” is the last line of Ang 4
Confirm Ang 5 begins with “ਨਾਨਕ ਆਖਣਿ…” and includes “ਵਡਾ ਸਾਹਿਬ…”
Confirm the pauri number ॥੨੧॥ appears at the end of
“ਨਾਨਕ ਜੇ ਕੋ ਆਪੌ ਜਾਣੈ ਅਗੈ ਗਇਆ ਨ ਸੋਹੈ ॥੨੧॥”Confirm the next pauri begins right after with “ਪਾਤਾਲਾ ਪਾਤਾਲ…”
Cross-check instruction:
Check Ang 4 and Ang 5 on two independent SGGS databases and confirm the Gurmukhi matches character‑for‑character.
If you ever spot a mismatch (Gurmukhi, Romanisation, or Ang), tell me — and I will correct it publicly with a dated correction note.
Next post teaser
Next is Pauri 22 (Part 26) — and Japji widens the lens again:
“ਪਾਤਾਲਾ ਪਾਤਾਲ…”
countless worlds, countless attempts to measure — and the humility that returns when counting breaks.