The Inner Pilgrimage Beyond Time and Ritual – Japji Sahib (Paurī 21)

Based on Maskeen Ji’s Discourse on Japji Sahib

Introduction: The Question of Pilgrimage

India, since ancient times, has been called the land of tīraths — the land of pilgrimages. Every region is dotted with holy rivers, temples, shrines, and sacred spaces. The act of bathing at tīraths, offering alms, practicing austerities, or feeding the poor was believed to bring purification. People traveled great distances, sometimes risking life and health, just to touch the waters of the Ganga, Yamuna, or to visit Kashi, Prayāg, Haridwar, or countless other sites.

But there was a paradox. While these pilgrimages were meant to cleanse, people often returned home filled with even greater pride: announcing, distributing offerings, carrying water from sacred rivers as tokens, and ensuring that everyone in the village knew they had “gone on pilgrimage.” Instead of dissolving ego, the ritual inflated it.

It is into this context that Guru Nānak Dev Ji delivers Paurī 21 of Japji Sahib. He does not deny the existence of tīraths, nor does he condemn those who journey there. Instead, he redefines the very concept of tīrath, lifting it from an external act to an internal state.

This paurī is layered:

• First, Guru Nānak critiques external ritual when done for pride.
• Second, he reveals the inner tīrath: listening, acceptance, and love.
• Third, he reminds us that virtues themselves belong only to God.
• Fourth, he reflects on the mystery of creation and the limits of human knowledge.
• Finally, he teaches humility: praise God, acknowledge His greatness, and never boast that you “know Him fully.”

Let us journey step by step.

Gurbani and Commentary

The Traditional Fourfold Religion

ਤੀਰਥੁ ਤਪੁ ਦਇਆ ਦਤੁ ਦਾਨੁ॥
tīrath tap daiā dat dān ||
“Pilgrimages, penance, compassion, charity—”

ਜੇ ਕੋ ਪਾਵੈ ਤਿਲ ਕਾ ਮਾਨੁ॥
je ko pāvai til kā mān ||
“— if one receives honor through these, it is no greater than a sesame seed.”

From Vedic and Puranic tradition, four great religious acts were praised:

1. Tīrath – bathing at sacred rivers and places.
2. Tap – performing austerities, fasting, enduring hardship for spiritual merit.
3. Daiā – practicing compassion, feeding or helping others.
4. Dān – giving in charity, donating wealth, food, or clothing.

In ancient India, these were considered the foundation of dharma. A householder who practiced them was called righteous.

Maskeen Ji explains: it was believed that by bathing in tīraths, one washed away the sins of lifetimes. By donating food and clothing, one earned great merit. By practicing austerities, one purified body and mind. India thus became the land of countless tīraths, and the belief in their power shaped the cultural psyche for centuries.

But Guru Nānak punctures the pride surrounding these acts. Even if you do them perfectly, the “honor” you gain in society is no greater than a sesame seed compared to the vast Himalayas. In divine terms, the merit is negligible if the heart remains unchanged.

He observed how people returned from tīraths more eager to announce their journey than to embody humility. They would distribute the prasād from pilgrimages so neighbors could “taste” their merit. But as Guru Nānak says elsewhere:

“Tīrath jāu tā hau hau karte, paṇḍit pūcho tā māiā rāte.”
(They go to pilgrimages but return boasting; when asked by priests, they speak only of wealth and pride.)

Thus, tīrath without inner change is empty.

The Inner Tīrath – Triveṇī Within

ਸੁਣਿਆ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਮਨਿ ਕੀਤਾ ਭਾਉ॥
suṇiā manniā man kītā bhāu ||
“To listen, to accept, and to cultivate love in the heart—”

ਅੰਤਰਗਤਿ ਤੀਰਥਿ ਮਲਿ ਨਾਉ॥
antara gat tīrath mal nāu ||
“— this is the inner tīrath, the cleansing bath within.”

Here Guru Nānak redefines pilgrimage.

Maskeen Ji beautifully illustrates: in India, the supreme tīrath was Triveṇī (Prayāg), the confluence of three rivers — Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. Pilgrims believed that bathing here cleansed lifetimes of sin.

Guru Nānak takes this cultural symbol and transforms it into an inner teaching:

• Suṇiā (listening to God’s praise) is the Ganga, visible and flowing.
• Mannia (accepting, internalizing) is the Yamuna, also visible.
• Bhāu (love, heartfelt devotion) is the hidden Saraswati, flowing unseen within.

When these three rivers meet inside the heart, the Triveṇī of true pilgrimage is formed. Bathing here is not an external ritual but an inner transformation — the washing away of ego, fear, and lifetimes of accumulated impressions.

This inner tīrath is greater than any geographical one. For outer tīraths wash the body, but the inner tīrath cleanses the soul.

Maskeen Ji adds: hearing God’s praises is the highest puṇya (merit). A person may donate millions, but the one who listens with devotion surpasses them. Listening, accepting, and loving — this is the tīrath that endures.

Devotion Requires Virtues

ਸਭਿ ਗੁਣ ਤੇਰੇ ਮੈ ਨਾਹੀ ਕੋਇ॥
sabh guṇ tere mai nāhī koi ||
“All virtues are Yours; none are mine.”

ਵਿਣੁ ਗੁਣ ਕੀਤੇ ਭਗਤਿ ਨ ਹੋਇ॥
viṇ guṇ kīte bhagat na hoi ||
“Without virtues, there can be no devotion.”

Virtue (guṇ) is the soil in which devotion (bhagatī) grows. Without humility, compassion, patience, and truthfulness, no amount of ritual makes a devotee.

Maskeen Ji explains: even the act of listening is a virtue, accepting is a virtue, cultivating love is a virtue. To be kind, disciplined, artistic, or forgiving — these are all divine rays. But man makes the mistake of claiming them: “I am compassionate, I am wise, I am virtuous.” At that moment, the virtue curdles into vice.

He gives a striking example: sugarcane juice is sweet and nourishing, but when fermented wrongly, it turns into poison. Likewise, virtues become vices when mixed with ego.

Thus Guru Nānak teaches: all virtues belong to God. The light that shines in us is His. The sun illuminates the room, but the light is not ours; it belongs to the sun. Similarly, if any virtue appears in the human heart, it is only God’s reflection.

Word as the Creative Force

ਸੁਅਸਤਿ ਆਥਿ ਬਾਣੀ ਬਰਮਾਉ॥
suasti āth bāṇī barmāu ||
“Blessed is the Word, by which creation came into being.”

ਸਤਿ ਸੁਹਾਣੁ ਸਦਾ ਮਨਿ ਚਾਉ॥
sat suhāṇ sadā man cāu ||
“He is True, Beautiful, forever in bliss.”

Every tradition affirms the primacy of the Word:

• In Hinduism: “Om” resounded and creation began.
• In Islam: God said “Kun” (Be), and the universe was.
• In Christianity: “In the beginning was the Word (Logos).”

Guru Nānak affirms: the bāṇī (Divine Word, vibration) is the source of creation.

But he goes further. He describes God’s nature:

• Sat – the eternal Truth.
• Suhāṇ – the beautiful, radiant.
• Sadā man chāu – ever in bliss, ever in joyous play.

The Creator is not austere or gloomy. He is luminous, joyous, and beautiful. To align with His Word is to live in truth, beauty, and bliss.

The Mystery of Creation

ਕਵਣੁ ਸੁ ਵੇਲਾ ਵਖਤੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਕਵਣ ਥਿਤਿ ਕਵਣੁ ਵਾਰੁ॥
kavaṇ su velā vakhat kavaṇ kavaṇ thit kavaṇ vār ||
“What was the moment, what was the time, what lunar date, what day—”

ਕਵਣਿ ਸਿ ਰੁਤੀ ਮਾਹੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਜਿਤੁ ਹੋਆ ਆਕਾਰੁ॥
kavaṇ si rutī māh kavaṇ jit hoā ākār ||
“What season, what month, when the creation took form?”

Human beings are endlessly curious. Philosophers, priests, and scientists all ask: when did creation begin? Was it morning or evening, spring or winter, this month or that?

Guru Nānak turns the question upside down: before creation, there was no time. Time itself was created along with the universe. To ask “when” assumes there was already a clock ticking. But there was no clock, no calendar, no sun or moon before creation.

Maskeen Ji explains: time, space, and seasons are all born with creation. To ask for creation’s “date” is to ask for the color of wind — the question itself is flawed.

The Limits of Knowledge

ਵੇਲ ਨ ਪਾਈਆ ਪੰਡਤੀ ਜਿ ਹੋਵੈ ਲੇਖੁ ਪੁਰਾਣੁ॥
vel na pāīā paṇḍatī ji hovai lekh purāṇ ||
“The Pandits could not find it, though they wrote the Purāṇas.”

ਵਖਤੁ ਨ ਪਾਇਓ ਕਾਦੀਆ ਜਿ ਲਿਖਨਿ ਲੇਖੁ ਕੁਰਾਣੁ॥
vakhat na pāio kādīā ji likhan lekh kurāṇ ||
“The Qāzīs could not find it, though they wrote the Qurān.”

ਥਿਤਿ ਵਾਰੁ ਨਾ ਜੋਗੀ ਜਾਣੈ ਰੁਤਿ ਮਾਹੁ ਨਾ ਕੋਈ॥
thit vār nā jogī jāṇai rut māh nā koī ||
“Neither yogis nor astrologers know the day, the date, the season, or the month.”

All the scriptures admit: the moment of creation is unknowable. Neither the Purāṇas nor the Qurān record it. Yogis with their spiritual powers also fail to name the exact time.

Maskeen Ji reminds us: even Brahmā, the supposed creator-god in Hindu tradition, admitted defeat, crying “Neti, neti” — not this, not this. The Infinite eludes grasp.

Only the Creator Knows

ਜਾ ਕਰਤਾ ਸਿਰਠੀ ਕਉ ਸਾਜੇ ਆਪੇ ਜਾਣੈ ਸੋਈ॥
jā kartā siraṭhī kau sāje āpe jāṇai soi ||
“Only the Creator who fashioned creation knows when He did it.”

This line resolves the mystery. Only the One who made the cosmos knows its true beginning. Human knowledge, however vast, collapses at this frontier.

The Inadequacy of Praise

ਕਿਵ ਕਰਿ ਆਖਾ ਕਿਵ ਸਾਲਾਹੀ ਕਿਉ ਵਰਨੀ ਕਿਵ ਜਾਣਾ॥
kiv kar ākhā kiv sālāhī kiu varṇī kiv jāṇā ||
“How can I speak of Him? How can I praise, describe, or know Him?”

ਨਾਨਕ ਆਖਣਿ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਆਖੈ ਇਕ ਦੂ ਇਕੁ ਸਿਆਣਾ॥
nānak ākhaṇ sabh ko ākhai ik dū ik siāṇā ||
“O Nānak, everyone tries to speak of Him, each claiming to be wise.”

ਵਡਾ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਵਡੀ ਨਾਈ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾ ਕਾ ਹੋਵੈ॥
vaḍā sāhib vaḍī nāī kītā jā kā hovai ||
“Great is the Master, great is His Name; His creation reveals His greatness.”

ਨਾਨਕ ਜੇ ਕੋ ਆਪੌ ਜਾਣੈ ਅਗੈ ਗਇਆ ਨ ਸੋਹੈ॥ ੨੧॥
nānak je ko āpau jāṇai agai gaïā na sohai ||21||
“Nanak, if anyone claims to fully know Him, they will not be honored in the Divine Court.”

Guru Nānak concludes: everyone attempts to describe God, adding words upon words, each trying to appear wise. But the Infinite cannot be boxed by speech. True wisdom is humility — to say simply: He is great, His Name is great, His creation speaks of His greatness.

Those who boast “I know Him fully” will find no honor. For to claim knowledge of the Infinite is to limit Him.

Maskeen Ji explains: to say “I have known God” is like calling a king merely a landlord, or a great emperor merely a village chief. Such claims dishonor God’s infinitude.

Thematic Reflections

1. Inner Pilgrimage:
   Guru Nānak relocates pilgrimage from rivers and shrines into the heart. The true tīrath is listening, accepting, and loving.

2. Virtues as Divine Rays:
   All virtues belong to God. They illuminate our hearts like sunlight in a room, but the light is not ours.

3. Word as Creation’s Seed:
   The universe was born of the Divine Word. This insight resonates with global religious traditions.

4. The Mystery of Creation:
   Asking “when” creation happened is flawed — time itself was born with creation. Only the Creator knows.

5. Humility in Praise:
   To praise God is natural, but to boast of “knowing Him” is arrogance. True devotion is humble awe.

Practical Takeaways

• Make an Inner Tīrath: Begin each day by listening to divine wisdom, accepting it, and filling your heart with love. This is greater than any external pilgrimage.
• Live Virtues, Don’t Claim Them: Practice humility, compassion, and patience, but remember they are God’s gifts, not your possessions.
• Embrace Mystery: Accept that creation’s origin is beyond us. Let mystery lead to wonder, not arrogance.
• Guard Against Ego: Pride in rituals, knowledge, or virtues turns nectar into poison. Stay humble.
• Praise without Boundaries: Keep repeating His greatness, even if words fall short. The act of praising lifts the soul.

Conclusion

Paurī 21 of Japji Sahib is a spiritual revolution. Guru Nānak takes one of India’s oldest religious practices — pilgrimage — and redirects it inward. True tīrath is not bathing in rivers but immersing in listening, acceptance, and love.

He reminds us that virtues are not ours but God’s. He affirms that the Word is the seed of creation. He dissolves the futile debates of philosophers by reminding us that only the Creator knows His own beginning. And finally, he calls us to humility: to praise God endlessly, but never to boast of fully knowing Him.

In this paurī, ritual gives way to inner transformation, ego gives way to humility, and speculation gives way to awe. Guru Nānak liberates us from empty forms and guides us to the essence: to live in truth, love, and humility before the Infinite.