The Infinite Praise and the Real Measure of Wealth – Japji Sahib (Paurī 23)

Based on Maskeen Ji’s Discourse on Japji Sahib

Introduction: The Journey Beyond Words

In Japji Sahib, Guru Nānak Dev Ji leads us step by step away from false securities — ritual baths, intellectual speculation, and attachment to worldly power. In Paurī 23, He focuses on the theme of Salaah (Divine praise).

Guru Ji explains that even though the Divine cannot be fully described, praising Him is never in vain. Just as rivers lose themselves in the ocean, so do those who glorify God merge into His essence. And, in a striking reversal of worldly values, Guru Ji declares that even a mighty emperor with oceans of wealth is worth less than a worm if he forgets the Divine — while even the most insignificant soul becomes radiant through remembrance.

The Limitless Nature of Divine Praise

ਸਾਲਾਹੀ ਸਾਲਾਹਿ ਏਤੀ ਸੁਰਤਿ ਨ ਪਾਈਆ॥
sālāhī sālāh etī surat na pāīā ||
Even in endless praise and glorification, His limits of greatness cannot be realized.

The saints, sages, and poets of countless generations have sung of God’s majesty, yet His reality remains beyond measure. No amount of eloquent praise ever captures His essence.

Maskeen Ji explains that this does not render praise meaningless. Just as sitting by a fire warms you even if you cannot describe the fire’s nature, so too does praising God illuminate and transform the heart.

Thus, Guru Ji reminds us: it is not about completing the description of God — which is impossible — but about transforming ourselves through remembrance.

Rivers and Streams Merging into the Ocean

ਨਦੀਆ ਅਤੈ ਵਾਹ ਪਵਹਿ ਸਮੁੰਦਿ ਨ ਜਾਣੀਅਹਿ॥
nadīā atai vāh pavah samund na jāṇīah ||
Rivers and streams flow into the ocean, yet the ocean’s measure cannot be known.

Guru Ji introduces one of the most beautiful metaphors of Japji Sahib. Countless rivers, with their distinct names and courses, merge into the vast ocean. Once merged, they lose their individual identities.

Maskeen Ji tells a parable: a small lump of salt decided to measure the depth of the sea. It dived in with determination, but as it dissolved, it became the sea itself. It never returned to tell its companions what it had found. The same is true of saints — once they merge into God, they no longer remain separate to describe Him.

This imagery also reveals a deeper truth: when one merges with the Divine, distinctions of caste, religion, language, or status vanish. Just as rivers lose their names in the sea, so too do ego-based identities dissolve in God. The true knower of God is not Hindu or Muslim, Sikh or Christian, but one with the Divine.

Why Wealth and Power Cannot Define Greatness

ਸਮੁੰਦ ਸਾਹ ਸੁਲਤਾਨ ਗਿਰਹਾ ਸੇਤੀ ਮਾਲੁ ਧਨੁ॥
samund sāh sultān girahā setī māl dhan ||
Suppose there were a king, as mighty as an ocean, possessing mountains of wealth and treasures…

Guru Ji now shifts from rivers to rulers. Imagine a king whose empire is as vast as the sea, with mountains of gold, silver, pearls, and jewels stacked in his palaces.

Maskeen Ji highlights that Guru Ji is addressing humanity’s obsession with dhan (wealth), maal (possessions), pad (status). Such riches appear immense, yet they hold no value if the king’s heart lacks remembrance of God. Without Naam, his power and wealth become shackles, not salvation.

A Worm Greater Than an Emperor

ਕੀੜੀ ਤੁਲਿ ਨ ਹੋਵਨੀ ਜੇ ਤਿਸੁ ਮਨਹੁ ਨ ਵੀਸਰਹਿ॥ ੨੩॥
kīṛī tul na hovnī je tis manahu na vīsrah ||23||
Yet such a king is not even equal to a worm, if he forgets the Divine in his heart.

This line delivers Guru Ji’s revolutionary verdict: even a worm, small and unnoticed, is greater than a king if it remains in remembrance of God.

Maskeen Ji draws parallels from the Bhagats:

• Bhagat Kabir Ji declared: “Tum ghar laakh kot asv hasti, ham ghar ek Murari — You may own elephants and horses, but in my home dwells the One Creator.”
• Baba Farid Ji warned: “Tinaa mukh darāvṇe jinaa visāriā nāo — Fearful are the faces of those who forget the Divine Name.”

Guru Ji overturns worldly hierarchies: status, caste, or riches do not determine greatness. Remembrance does.

The worm becomes the symbol of humility — unnoticed, crushed underfoot, without identity or glory. Yet, if it remembers God, it surpasses emperors. On the other hand, rulers who forget God, despite their grandeur, are like scarecrows: impressive to look at, but hollow and lifeless within.

Spiritual Insights from Paurī 23

1. Praise without end – The Infinite cannot be fully described, but every act of remembrance transforms the soul.
2. Union beyond identity – Like rivers merging in the sea, saints dissolve ego, caste, and religion in the Divine.
3. True measure of wealth – Palaces, jewels, and kingdoms fade before the remembrance of Naam.
4. The paradox of humility – A worm in remembrance is greater than an emperor in forgetfulness.

Living the Message in Daily Life

• When reciting bani or simran, we need not worry whether our praise “captures enough.” The act of remembrance itself is transformative.
• When tempted to measure success by possessions, let us remember Guru Ji’s verdict: real wealth is Naam, not gold.
• When confronted with religious, caste, or cultural divisions, the metaphor of rivers reminds us that all sincere seekers ultimately merge in the same ocean.

Conclusion: The Ocean of Remembrance

Paurī 23 of Japji Sahib invites us to step beyond wealth, power, and even the limits of language. It teaches that:

• God’s greatness cannot be measured.
• Yet, every act of Salaah draws us into His presence.
• In merging with Him, we lose our ego just as rivers lose their names in the sea.
• And the worm who remembers is greater than the king who forgets.

Guru Nānak Dev Ji’s wisdom redefines greatness. It is not about crowns, palaces, or treasures, but about the silent, constant remembrance of the Divine. For in that remembrance lies freedom, union, and eternal joy.