The Great Giver Beyond Measure – Maskeen Ji’s Katha on Japji Sahib (Paurī 25)

Based on Maskeen Ji’s Discourse on Japji Sahib

Introduction

In Paurī 25 of Japji Sahib, Gurū Nānak Dev Ji reveals the infinite generosity of the Divine. Unlike human beings, who give with expectation, who remind others of their favors, and who often seek return for their kindness, the Creator gives without measure, without demand, and without even the slightest desire for recognition.

Maskeen Ji, in his deep and insightful katha, explains how this Paurī unveils the essence of God as the Perfect Giver (Dātā). Through vivid examples and comparisons, he highlights how all aspects of life — from blessings to struggles — are part of the Divine Will and gifts of the Divine. This commentary guides the seeker toward understanding gratitude, humility, and the recognition that true sovereignty belongs only to the one blessed with remembrance of God’s Name.

The Infinite Grace of the Divine

bahutā karam likhiā nā jāi

God’s mercy and grace are so vast they cannot be written down or captured. His blessings are unending, His compassion immeasurable. Language cannot record them, numbers cannot account for them, and no human mind can fully comprehend their depth.

Maskeen Ji explains that this line refers to karam not in the sense of karma (action), but as grace, mercy, and divine favor. God’s grace flows so abundantly that it cannot be contained in lists or accounts.

vaḍā dātā til na tamāi

He is the Great Giver, who gives like mountains, yet does not hold even a mustard seed’s worth of expectation. Unlike human beings, who constantly remind others of their acts of kindness, God never boasts of His giving.

Maskeen Ji draws a contrast here:

• If a man helps someone once, he repeats it a thousand times, reminding the other of the favor and expecting repayment in gratitude or benefit.
• Human beings, when they donate or perform charity, often publicize it — on walls, in speeches, or through recognition.

But God gives endlessly and never mentions it. He places mountains of blessings into the lap of creation, yet keeps no trace of pride. This is why, says Maskeen Ji, true giving belongs only to God. Human giving, when tied with expectation, becomes trade. Only the Divine gives selflessly.

The Many Who Ask, and the Many Who Squander

kete maṅgah jodh apār

Countless warriors, strong men, and powerful rulers stand at His door, begging for strength, victory, and success. From ancient times, before entering the battlefield, warriors have prayed for triumph, for energy, and for dominance.

ketiā gaṇat nahī vīcār

The number of those asking is beyond counting. Human thought cannot comprehend how many desires are placed before God at every moment. Requests come without end, and His door never closes.

Maskeen Ji explains that in every age, human beings continue to bring their demands before the Divine — sometimes for power, sometimes for wealth, sometimes for worldly victory. And the Divine, in His grace, continues to give according to His Will.

kete khap ṭuṭah vekār

Countless people, after receiving God’s gifts, waste them in vice and corruption. Wealth turns to pride, beauty to lust, power to cruelty. What was given for life’s sustenance and uplift becomes the very cause of downfall.

Maskeen Ji illustrates this with the image of those who squander their health, wealth, and talents in destructive pursuits. They consume their bodies in indulgence, break their conscience, and waste their time. The Divine blessings remain abundant, but man’s misuse of them leads to ruin.

kete lai lai mukar pāh

Countless take from God again and again, yet deny the Giver. They enjoy the gifts but fail to acknowledge where they came from. Ungratefulness spreads, and denial becomes their way of life.

Here Maskeen Ji compares this to the person who profits in a trade but still complains of loss, because his imagined target was higher. Instead of thanking God for what was given, he grieves over what was not attained. Such ungratefulness, says Bhāī Gurdās Ji, makes one a burden on the earth. The earth bears mountains, oceans, rivers, animals, and humans without complaint — but when it comes to the ungrateful, the earth cries out under their weight.

kete mūrakh khāhī khāh

Countless fools only eat and consume, never once remembering the Giver. Their focus remains only on filling the mouth, without any thought of gratitude or responsibility.

Maskeen Ji explains that such people live only for consumption, treating life as a cycle of eating and enjoying, without ever turning toward the Source. This blind indulgence keeps them in ignorance.

ketiā dūkh bhūkh sad mār, eh bhi dāt terī dātār

Countless suffer hunger, pain, and affliction — yet even these are Your gifts, O Giver.

This line, Maskeen Ji emphasizes, is unique and profound. Where most people see suffering as a curse, Guru Nānak Dev Ji declares it a gift. Why? Because suffering awakens the soul.

• Comfort lulls most people to sleep. Out of a hundred, perhaps ten may remain awake in joy.
• Suffering shakes a person, awakens awareness, and forces deeper reflection.

Thus, pain too is God’s grace, for it rouses sleeping consciousness. Many of the greatest insights, arts, and expressions of humanity have been born from suffering. Kabīr Ji writes: “I am a sacrifice to that pain, which makes me remember God with each breath.”

Bondage and Liberation in His Will

band khalāsī bhāṇai hoi, hor ākh na sakai koi

Bondage and liberation both happen according to His Will. No one can claim otherwise.

Maskeen Ji points out that freedom from vices, from cycles of birth and death, and from worldly attachments is possible only when one aligns with God’s Will (bhāṇā). No other path, no secret formula, no alternate method can substitute for surrender to His Will.

je ko khāik ākhaṇ pāi, ohu jāṇai jetīā muh khāi

If some fool dares to claim otherwise, he will learn only when struck with the blows of his own failure.

Any path outside Divine Will leads only to humiliation and defeat. Liberation cannot be achieved by denying God’s Will, only through surrender to it.

God Alone Knows, God Alone Gives

āpe jāṇai āpe deī, ākheh si bhi keī kei

He Himself knows, and He Himself gives. Many speak of Him in countless ways, but the truth is that God alone understands what each being requires.

Maskeen Ji compares this to a poet’s verse: each person receives according to their capacity. The bulbul bird receives a garden, the moth receives fire, the human may receive sorrow that awakens poetry or wisdom. Every gift is tailored by the Divine hand, given with knowledge of the recipient’s capacity.

The Highest Gift

jis no bakhse sift sālāh, nānak pātisāhī pātisāh ||25||

Whoever God blesses with the gift of praise and remembrance of His Name becomes the King of kings.

This is the climax of the Paurī. Among all gifts — wealth, health, victory, comfort, or even sorrow — the highest is the gift of remembrance. To be able to sing His praises, to meditate on His Name, and to live in gratitude is the true sovereignty. Such a soul becomes greater than any worldly ruler, seated upon a throne higher than kings and emperors.

Maskeen Ji explains that one who receives this gift receives the essence of all treasures. To remember God is to live in constant union with Him, to reign above the fleeting powers of the world.

Conclusion

Paurī 25 of Japji Sahib portrays God as the Great Giver beyond measure. His mercy cannot be written, His gifts cannot be counted, and His generosity knows no end. Human beings may misuse gifts, deny the Giver, or complain in ungratefulness — yet God continues to give. Even suffering and hunger, often seen as curses, are in truth Divine gifts, meant to awaken awareness and draw the soul closer to Him.

The key message of this Paurī, as Maskeen Ji explains, is that the highest gift is not wealth, power, or worldly success, but the remembrance of God’s Name. Whoever receives the blessing to sing His praises becomes the King of kings, ruling not through earthly crowns but through the sovereignty of the spirit.