The Infinite Names and the Power of Letters — Commentary on Japji Sahib (Paurī 19)

Based on Maskeen Ji’s Discourse on Japji Sahib

Introduction

Japji Sahib, the opening bani of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, is both a spiritual map and a hymn of cosmic wonder. In its profound verses, Guru Nānak Dev Ji leads seekers from the human condition of doubt and ego toward the realization of the Eternal, Formless One. Each Paurī (stanza) builds upon the last, unveiling different dimensions of the Divine.

Paurīs 16 through 19 form a unique cluster, often called the Kudrat Paurīs (stanzas of Creation). In them, Guru Nānak contemplates the grandeur of creation and the limits of human understanding. Paurī 19, the final one of this section, is particularly striking: it speaks about the countless names, countless realms, and the vastness of existence, while also pointing to the crucial role of akharā (letters, language, sound) in expressing knowledge and praise. Yet even as Guru Ji acknowledges the power of language, he reminds us that the Creator transcends all letters, names, and categories.

Giani Sant Singh Ji Maskeen, one of the most profound Sikh thinkers and kathākārs of the modern era, elaborated beautifully on this Paurī. His commentary helps us see how Guru Nānak’s words illuminate not only the infinite expanse of creation but also the central role of human speech and the inherent limitations of human intellect before the Divine.

This article will explore Japji Sahib Paurī 19 through both the faithful translation of its verses and the depth of Maskeen Ji’s interpretations.

Translation and Commentary of Japji Sahib Paurī 19

Countless Names, Countless Places

ਅਸੰਖ ਨਾਵ ਅਸੰਖ ਥਾਵ॥
asaṅkh nāv asaṅkh thāv ||
Countless are the names, countless are the places.

Every created thing has been identified through a name. The name is the first step to recognition. Maskeen Ji explains that every country, every city, every street, and every household has a name. Even illnesses have names, and the medicines that cure them have names. Without naming, there is no way for us to know or relate to a thing.

From the smallest creatures to the planets and stars, everything that exists has a label through which human beings understand it. This is why names are indispensable. Yet Guru Nānak uses the word asaṅkh — countless. The number of names and places is so vast that it defies comprehension.

But Maskeen Ji warns us: the word asaṅkh is itself a limitation. If we say “countless,” we are still trying to give a number to what is beyond numbers. The Infinite cannot be enclosed within a word.

Unfathomable Worlds Beyond Reach

ਅਗੰਮ ਅਗੰਮ ਅਸੰਖ ਲੋਅ॥
agaṁm agaṁm asaṅkh loā ||
Unfathomable, beyond reach — countless are the worlds.

Guru Ji repeats “agaṁm” twice. This is no accident. Agaṁm means that which is inaccessible — beyond the reach of body, senses, or mind. There are realms of existence so subtle and vast that neither science, nor imagination, nor meditation can fully reach them.

Maskeen Ji points out that even today, scientists are only scratching the surface of the universe. There are galaxies and suns so far away that human instruments cannot see them. Yet Guru Nānak, centuries earlier, declared: countless worlds exist beyond human perception. To acknowledge this is not ignorance but wisdom — it is humility before the vastness of creation.

The Limitation of Calling It ‘Countless’

ਅਸੰਖ ਕਹਹਿ ਸਿਰਿ ਭਾਰੁ ਹੋਇ॥
asaṅkh kahah sir bhār hoi ||
To describe them all as countless still becomes a burden of exaggeration.

Guru Ji here gives a gentle warning. To simply say “it is countless” can itself be a mistake, a burden of misrepresentation. Why? Because even the act of saying “countless” presumes we have measured and then declared beyond measure. But the Infinite cannot be measured. To reduce infinity to a word is to reduce its mystery.

Maskeen Ji explains: if you say “uncountable,” you are still attempting to count. And anything that can be counted, or defined, or held within human grasp, loses its infinity. The Divine is that which resists all capture — in words, in thought, in imagination. That is why true reverence begins not with grasping but with wonder, even silence.

The Power of Letters (Akharā)

ਅਖਰੀ ਨਾਮੁ ਅਖਰੀ ਸਾਲਾਹ॥
akhri nām akhri sālāh ||
Through letters are His Names expressed; through letters is His praise sung.

ਅਖਰੀ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਗੀਤ ਗੁਣ ਗਾਹ॥
akhri giān gīt guṇ gāh ||
Through letters is knowledge conveyed, through letters are virtues described in song.

ਅਖਰੀ ਲਿਖਣੁ ਬੋਲਣੁ ਬਾਣਿ॥
akhri likhaṇ bolaṇ bāṇ ||
Through letters is all writing and speech formed.

ਅਖਰਾ ਸਿਰਿ ਸੰਜੋਗੁ ਵਖਾਣਿ॥
akhra sir sanjog vakhāṇ ||
Through letters are unions formed and destinies declared.

Here Guru Nānak turns to language itself. Human civilization is built upon akharā — letters, sounds, words. Without them, we would have no knowledge, no history, no communication.

Maskeen Ji gives a powerful comparison: animals also have voices, but their sounds only express their own presence — a lion’s roar tells you a lion is there, a cuckoo’s song tells you it is singing. But no animal can explain history, share wisdom, or describe God. Only human beings, through the gift of letters, can do this.

He explains further: all sciences, all arts, all philosophies, all scriptures — they live in letters. Remove letters from human life, and there is no civilization left. In fact, every human relationship is built through words. Two people become friends, or a husband and wife join in marriage, through words spoken and written. Letters create bonds; letters carry destinies.

Thus, akharā are a divine gift, and Guru Ji honors their power.

The One Beyond Letters

ਜਿਨਿ ਏਹਿ ਲਿਖੇ ਤਿਸੁ ਸਿਰਿ ਨਾਹਿ॥
jin eh likhe tis sir nāh ||
But the One who has inscribed all this is Himself beyond letters.

ਜਿਵ ਫੁਰਮਾਏ ਤਿਵ ਤਿਵ ਪਾਹਿ॥
jiv phurmāe tiv tiv pāh ||
As He ordains, so do we receive.

Here lies the paradox: while everything we know is mediated through language, God Himself is beyond language. He can be pointed to, sung about, and remembered through words — but He cannot be fully contained in them.

Maskeen Ji cites Bhagat Kabīr: even if you write the sacred syllable Oṅkār on the ground and erase it, God does not disappear. His essence is eternal, written upon the heart, not paper. Words reveal Him, but He Himself transcends them.

All Creation Is His Name

ਜੇਤਾ ਕੀਤਾ ਤੇਤਾ ਨਾਉ॥
jetā kītā tetā nāu ||
All that has been created reflects His Name.

ਵਿਣੁ ਨਾਵੈ ਨਾਹੀ ਕੋ ਥਾਉ॥
viṇ nāvai nāhī ko thāu ||
Without His Name, no place exists.

Creation itself is the manifestation of God’s Name. Everything that exists carries His imprint. There is no place where He is absent. To say “this is God’s place, and this is not” is to misunderstand His all-pervading Presence.

Maskeen Ji explains: we sometimes say, “So-and-so has made a great name for himself.” By this we mean his presence, his essence, his worth. In the same way, the entire universe is the “Name” of God — His essence spread everywhere.

The Humility of Guru Nānak

ਕੁਦਰਤਿ ਕਵਣ ਕਹਾ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥
kudarat kavaṇ kahā vīcār ||
What power do I have to describe or contemplate His creation?

ਵਾਰਿਆ ਨ ਜਾਵਾ ਏਕ ਵਾਰ॥
vāriā na jāvā ek vār ||
I cannot even once sacrifice myself fully to Him.

ਜੋ ਤੁਧੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਸਾਈ ਭਲੀ ਕਾਰ॥
jo tuḍh bhāvai sāī bhalī kār ||
Whatever pleases You, O Lord, that alone is the true and noble act.

ਤੂ ਸਦਾ ਸਲਾਮਤਿ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ॥ ੧੯॥
tū sadā salāmat niraṅkār ||19||
You are eternal, ever stable, beyond form, O Formless One.

After describing the grandeur of creation, Guru Nānak bows in humility. He admits: “Who am I to even contemplate creation? I do not even have the strength to sacrifice myself once to Him.” This is not despair — it is surrender. It is the realization that the only true wisdom is to accept God’s Will: whatever pleases Him is good.

And so, the Paurī ends with timeless praise: God is eternal, indestructible, beyond form. The creation changes, decays, and renews — but He remains forever.

Reflections from Maskeen Ji

Maskeen Ji draws several deep insights from this Paurī:

1. The Limitations of Science and Art Alone
   Science studies matter. Art expresses emotion. But each is partial. The scientist may understand atoms but be blind to beauty; the artist may paint beauty but be ignorant of physics. Only the saint — the knower of God — integrates all: science, art, and spirit. That is why saints often express divine truths through poetry, song, and metaphor.

2. The Universality of Music and Song
   Gurbani itself is set in rāga (musical measures). Maskeen Ji emphasizes that the path to God is not dry ritual or sorrowful austerity, but song, music, and joy. The bhagats sang, the prophets sang, the Gurus sang. Divine truth is best expressed in melody, for God is bliss itself.

3. The Cycle of Creation and Decay
   Drawing from Gurbani, Maskeen Ji explains: everything in creation has a cycle — birth, growth, maturity, decline, and death. This applies to human beings, stars, planets, and galaxies. Even the sun will one day cool. Yet through all this change, God remains unchanged. This is why Guru Nānak calls Him Niraṅkār — the Formless Eternal.

Conclusion

Paurī 19 of Japji Sahib is a meditation on infinity, language, and humility. Guru Nānak reveals the vastness of creation: countless names, countless places, countless worlds. He honors the power of akharā — letters that allow us to know, to communicate, to praise, to write, and to bond. Yet he reminds us that the Divine is beyond all letters, beyond all categories.

The Paurī teaches us both to use language wisely and to transcend it in silence and surrender. It teaches us that all creation is God’s Name, and that without Him, no place exists. And it leaves us with the essence of spiritual wisdom: to accept God’s Will as perfect and to bow before the Eternal Formless One.

Maskeen Ji’s commentary guides us to see how Guru Nānak’s words remain profoundly relevant. In a world of science and art, of names and labels, we must remember that the Infinite lies beyond them all. To approach Him, we must carry both the gift of language and the humility to admit its limits.

In the end, Japji Sahib Paurī 19 is not merely about creation — it is about the wonder that arises when we realize our own smallness before the Infinite.