The Gateway of Liberation — Commentary on Paurī 15 of Japji Sahib

Based on Maskeen Ji’s Discourse on Japji Sahib

Introduction

In Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak Dev Ji leads the seeker through a spiritual ascent: listening (suṇīai), acceptance (manne), articulation (bhakhia), and discipline (saram). After the four pauris on listening (8–11) and the four on acceptance (12–15), a deep truth emerges: listening opens the door, but only acceptance brings one inside.

Pauri 15 is the culmination of the four “manne” pauris. Here, Guru Ji describes the fruits of acceptance: freedom from bondage, dignity for the family, capacity to uplift others, and the end of wandering in spiritual disguises. The soul finds the gateway to liberation, a state of unshakable peace and inner sovereignty.

Giani Sant Singh Ji Maskeen explains this pauri as the crown jewel of faith. Acceptance of the Divine Name transforms not just the seeker, but their family, their community, and generations around them.

The Longing for Liberation

Maskeen Ji begins by pointing to the universal longing that resides in every human being: the desire for freedom.

• Bondage brings suffering.
• Freedom brings bliss.

Slavery is pain; sovereignty is joy. Even in worldly life, we value freedom of thought, speech, and movement. But Guru Nanak points us to the deepest freedom — liberation of the soul from the chains of vice, ego, and the endless cycle of birth and death.

Guru Ji declares:

“manne pāvah mokh duār”
By acceptance, the door of liberation opens.

Bondage is not just social or political; it is inward. The real prisons are our own vices.

Kabir Ji says:

“gal tauk, pag bēri.”
(A noose is on the neck, shackles are on the feet.)

• The tongue is chained when it speaks lies instead of truth.
• The eyes are chained when they covet wealth or lust after another.
• The ears are chained when they delight in gossip and slander.
• The hands are chained when they destroy rather than build.
• The mind is chained when it spins in anger, greed, or jealousy.

Thus, we live bound even while thinking we are free. True freedom (mokh) comes only when the Divine Name is accepted in the heart. Acceptance melts the chains.

The Paradox of Bondage

Maskeen Ji often emphasized that humans may gain outer independence — politically, socially, even economically — but remain inwardly enslaved.

A society may celebrate independence, yet individuals remain prisoners of greed, pride, and endless desires. Outward freedom without inner freedom is incomplete.

Guru Nanak addresses precisely this: acceptance is the key that unlocks the inner prison. Only then can one experience the joy of liberation.

Support for the Family

“manne paravārai sādhār”
By acceptance, one becomes the support of the family.

Faith is never a private treasure alone. It radiates. The one who accepts the Divine Name uplifts not only themselves but also their family — both ancestors and descendants.

Upliftment of Ancestors

Gurbani declares:

“jeh simrat sabh kilvikh nāse, pitri hoi udhāro.”
(By remembrance of God, sins are erased and even ancestors find liberation.)

When a soul truly anchors in the Divine, that spiritual force radiates across time and lineage. Ancestors still caught in the cycles of rebirth receive upliftment through the grace flowing from one faithful heart.

Inspiration for the Household

The present family also finds support:

• The calm of the faithful parent inspires children.
• The contentment of a faithful spouse steadies the home.
• The dignity of the faithful child uplifts parents.

Maskeen Ji beautifully explains: just as a lamp not only lights itself but the entire room, so a person who accepts God becomes a guiding light for their family. Their face reflects peace, their life demonstrates virtue, and their presence itself becomes an anchor.

Crossing and Helping Others Cross

“manne tarai tāre guru sikh”
By acceptance, one crosses the world-ocean and helps others cross as well.

The world is often described in Gurbani as bhav sāgar — an ocean of existence. It is vast, stormy, and filled with waves of desire and fear. To cross it alone is hard enough. Yet Guru Nanak says that by acceptance, not only does one cross, but also becomes capable of helping others across.

The Boat of Life

Maskeen Ji draws on Kabir Ji’s imagery of the boat:

“Kabīr bēṛā jarjarā, phūṭe chhek hazār; harūe harūe tar gaye, būṛhe jin sir bhār.”
(Kabir says: the boat is worn, broken with thousands of holes; those who carried heavy burdens sank, while the light ones crossed.)

Human life is a fragile, leaky boat — full of holes from sins and mistakes. Alone, it sinks. But when acceptance of the Divine Name fills the cracks, the boat floats.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji echoes:

“bikār pāthar gale bāndhe, nind poth siḍāe.”
(Tying stones of vices around the neck and carrying the load of slander on the head, one surely sinks.)

Without acceptance, life is weighed down by vice. With acceptance, the burden lifts, and both seeker and companions find safe passage.

Freedom from Wandering and Beggary

“manne nānak bhavah na bhikh”
By acceptance, one does not wander in disguises or beg for sustenance.

Maskeen Ji explains this as the end of both spiritual wandering and inner poverty.

1. Spiritual Wandering:

   • Many wander from sect to sect, ritual to ritual, wearing different religious garbs.
   • They are restless, hoping that external change will bring inner peace.
   • But until one accepts God’s Name in the heart, wandering never ends.

2. Begging:

   • The unfaithful live like beggars, chasing approval, wealth, or rituals.
   • The faithful live like sovereigns — inwardly rich, full, content.
   • Acceptance transforms beggary into sufficiency.

Guru Nanak emphasizes: the one who accepts is anchored, no longer restless. No more running door to door, chasing illusions.

The Stainless Divine Name

Once again, Guru Nanak closes with the refrain:

“aisā nām nirañjan hoi, je ko mann jāṇai man koi.”
Such is the stainless, pure Name of God — but only the one who accepts in the heart can know it.

The Divine is nirañjan — untouched by darkness, pure beyond stain. God is present in the thief but not a thief; in the liar but not a liar; in filth but not filthy. Like sunlight shining on flowers and garbage alike without being tainted, so God is in all yet remains pure.

But this cannot be known through words alone. It must be accepted inwardly. Just as one cannot drink water through another’s mouth or see through another’s eyes, one cannot know God through another’s faith. Acceptance must be personal, direct, and heartfelt.

Practical Relevance Today

This pauri speaks powerfully to modern seekers:

• In a world of anxiety: Acceptance provides the doorway to inner freedom, beyond the shackles of stress and pressure.
• In broken families: Acceptance makes one a support and refuge, a quiet anchor of peace that uplifts all around.
• In a restless society: Acceptance ends the endless wandering after fads, sects, or rituals, giving steadiness and clarity.
• In a world chasing wealth: Acceptance transforms beggary into sufficiency, revealing inner richness greater than all possessions.
• In a time of self-centeredness: Acceptance turns the seeker into one who uplifts others, carrying not just themselves but many across life’s ocean.

Conclusion

Pauri 15 of Japji Sahib concludes the section on manne with a vision of what full acceptance brings: liberation, dignity, stability, the power to uplift others, and inner sovereignty.

Guru Nanak makes it clear:

• Bondage is real — in vices, habits, and illusions.
• Freedom is possible — through acceptance of the Divine Name.
• Faith is fruitful — not only for the individual, but for family, community, and generations.

Maskeen Ji reminds us that acceptance is not passive belief but active trust, a surrender that transforms life. The faithful one is no longer a beggar or wanderer but a sovereign soul, free, radiant, and capable of uplifting others.

Such is the stainless Divine Name, beyond stain and beyond words. But it can only be known through acceptance — a leap of faith in the unseen that reveals the deepest truth of existence.