Walking in Hukam — An Inspirational Commentary on Japji Sahib (Paurī 2)
Based on Maskeen Ji’s Discourse on Japji Sahib
Introduction — Guru Nanak’s Fundamental Question
The opening verses of Japji Sahib confront humanity with a question that has echoed for centuries:
“How can one become truthful? How can the wall of falsehood be broken?”
In Pauri 2, Guru Nanak gives a profound answer: the path to Truth lies not in ego or force, but in surrendering to Hukam — the Divine Command, the law of the universe, the ordering principle by which all existence unfolds.
Giani Sant Singh Maskeen Ji, one of the most beloved interpreters of Gurbani, spent his life unpacking the depth of these words. His exposition of Pauri 2 reveals a delicate balance: human freedom exists within Divine Hukam, yet the misuse of that freedom leads to suffering. To understand Hukam is to dissolve ego and find peace.
This article unfolds Maskeen Ji’s reflections on Pauri 2, expands upon his parables, and draws parallels from the Bhakti and Sufi traditions. It is not just an explanation but an invitation: to live truthfully, harmoniously, and joyfully within the order of Hukam.
The Human Dilemma: Desire and Obstruction
Maskeen Ji begins by acknowledging something fundamental: human desire is not false.
- The desire for life is true.
- The longing for Truth is true.
- The thirst of the soul for meaning is true.
Yet something blocks this desire: attachment (kaṛ, moh). Desire itself is not the enemy; it is the clinging that corrupts. Maskeen Ji describes man as caught in tension: one foot moving forward toward Truth, the other dragged backward by illusion.
This duality creates a life of conflict: the soul yearns for the eternal, while the body and mind are enticed by fleeting pleasures. It is like a traveler constantly taking one step ahead and one step back, never at rest.
The Guru reframes this struggle with a question: how can this wall of falsehood be broken? Only a great thinker, one who has seen through illusion, can answer.
The Law of Similarity: Truth Merges Only with Truth
Here Maskeen Ji draws on Guru Nanak’s teaching: only the truthful can merge into Truth. Falsehood cannot.
He illustrates with vivid comparisons:
- Light can blend with light, but never with darkness.
- Fragrance can merge with fragrance, but not with stench.
- Milk can mix with milk, but not with wine.
In the same way, Truth merges only with Truth. Falsehood cannot dissolve into the eternal. This is not punishment but a natural law: only like can merge with like. To live in falsehood is to remain outside union. To live truthfully is to become absorbed in the ocean of Truth.
Union with Truth: The Ultimate Rest
Maskeen Ji describes union with Truth as:
- The ultimate rest — beyond striving, beyond birth and death.
- The root of life — the source of joy and vitality.
- The union with Light — clarity, radiance, awakening.
- The union with divine play — blissful participation in God’s creation.
By contrast, falsehood brings sorrow, disturbance, and endless wandering. Many people live in dreams and fantasies, but even dreams have their impact: they leave one restless and unsatisfied. A dream may seem sweet, but it is still false. Only Truth endures.
Guru Nanak’s Answer: Live in Hukam
The great question — “How can one become truthful?” — finds its answer in a single line:
“Hukam rajāī chalnā, Nānak likhiā nāl.”
Live in harmony with Hukam, O Nanak, as inscribed within you.
This is the essence of Sikh spirituality: to align with the Divine law.
Maskeen Ji explains: nature itself teaches this.
- Eat beyond limit, and the body falls ill.
- Think excessively, and the mind grows heavy.
- Worry too much, and vitality drains away.
Happiness is the fruit of obedience to Hukam. Suffering is the fruit of violating it. God does not inflict punishment; God is merciful. Suffering is simply the natural outcome of disharmony with Hukam.
Freedom Within Hukam: The Story of Hazrat Ali
Maskeen Ji recounts the famous story of Hazrat Ali and Prophet Muhammad. Ali asks: “Do I do anything, or is everything done by God?”
The Prophet instructs him to lift one foot — Ali does. Then to lift the other as well — Ali cannot. The Prophet explains:
- Man has freedom to act (to lift one foot).
- But man is also bound by limits (cannot lift both).
- Actions are free; consequences belong to God.
This illustrates Guru Nanak’s teaching: human freedom exists within Divine Hukam. We choose our actions, but the fruits lie with God. As Shri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: “Action is in your hands, Arjuna, but the fruit is in mine.”
The Immutable Law of Seeds
Another of Maskeen Ji’s striking images is that of sowing seeds. Whatever you plant multiplies and returns:
- Plant poison, and poison returns a thousandfold.
- Plant sweetness, and sweetness returns abundantly.
- Ease another’s path, and your own road becomes easier.
- Place even one thorn for another, and your own journey fills with thorns.
This is not superstition but a cosmic law of moral ecology. The world is not indifferent: every action ripples outward, multiplies, and circles back.
Suffering Reconsidered: Not Divine Wrath, But Natural Law
When one suffers — physically or mentally — Maskeen Ji says we should see it as a violation of Hukam. This is not to shame the sufferer but to awaken responsibility. Just as breaking traffic laws leads to accidents, breaking Divine law leads to suffering.
God is merciful, never cruel. Punishment belongs to tyrants, not to the Divine. Pain is simply the fruit of our own misalignment.
Examples from Creation: Perfection in Diversity
Guru Nanak points to nature as testimony of Hukam’s order:
- Stone and diamond — both are stone, but one is exalted through refinement. Man cannot create a diamond; it is Hukam’s miracle.
- Sandalwood and thornbush — one is filled with fragrance, the other with bitterness; both have their ordained place.
- Lotus and rose — different flowers, each beautiful in its way.
- Animals and birds — some are high, like the swan, others low, like the crow.
All exist within Hukam’s design. Some lands are fertile, others barren; some people are exalted, others lowly. The law is not unfair; it simply sets diversity as part of creation’s wholeness.
The Fish and the Ocean
Perhaps the most moving metaphor Maskeen Ji shares is of the fish and the ocean. The fish asks: “Where is the ocean?” — not realizing it swims in it.
So too man asks, “Where is God?” God surrounds us, sustains us, and permeates us. We eat, breathe, and live within Him. Yet, like the fish, we forget. To realize Hukam is to awaken to the ocean already holding us.
Breaking the Ego: From “I” to “You”
The essence of this Pauri is the dissolution of ego. When one understands Hukam, the “I” (haumai) fades. No longer do we say, “I did this.” Instead, all is recognized as God’s doing.
Maskeen Ji recalls Kabir’s line:
“Tu tu karta tu hua, mujh mein raha na hu.”
(Saying “You, You,” I became You; in me remained no “I.”)
Similarly, Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s tongue uttered only “Tu hi, Tu hi” (“Only You, Only You”). When “mine” disappears and only “Yours” remains, the heart becomes free. The more we cling to “mine,” the heavier our sorrow; the more we surrender to “Yours,” the greater our joy.
The Illusion of Control: Birth and Death Beyond Our Hands
Maskeen Ji reminds us: the greatest events of life — birth and death — are not in our hands. We did not choose our parents, our form, our lifespan. If such mighty events are not ours to command, why should we cling to pride over small matters?
To understand this is to be free from arrogance. To accept this is to live in peace.
Living Hukam: Practical Implications
Living in Hukam does not mean passive resignation. It means:
- Awareness — noticing the laws written into nature and life.
- Obedience — aligning choices with Divine harmony.
- Humility — dissolving ego, saying “You” instead of “I.”
- Responsibility — recognizing that suffering arises from violation of laws.
- Gratitude — accepting what is given, rather than complaining.
Conclusion — Understanding Hukam, Dissolving Ego
Pauri 2 is both philosophical and practical. Guru Nanak begins with a question — how to become truthful — and answers with a path: live in Hukam.
Maskeen Ji’s katha unfolds this path with stories, parables, and comparisons. The lesson is clear: everything is happening within Hukam. The more we fight, the more restless we become. The more we align, the more peaceful and free.
To understand Hukam is to let the ego fall silent. Then life is no longer a burden of “I” and “mine,” but a song of “You.”
As Guru Nanak declares:
“Nanak hukam je bujhai, ta haumai kahe na koe.”
O Nanak, one who understands Hukam no longer speaks in ego.