Walking in Love — An Inspirational Commentary on Paurī 4 of Japji Sahib

Based on Maskeen Ji’s Discourse on Japji Sahib

Introduction — The Eternal Question of Ownership and Truth

In the fourth pauri of Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak Dev Ji shifts the seeker’s gaze towards an understanding of the True Master (Saachaa Sahib) and the True Name (Saach Nao). The Guru addresses a timeless question: who is the real owner in this world, and how can one connect with Him?

Our worldly sense of ownership is fragile and temporary. Land changes hands, kingdoms rise and fall, titles are inherited and lost. What seems ours today belongs to someone else tomorrow. Guru Nanak challenges this illusion by declaring that only the Divine — the Infinite, All-Pervading, and Eternal One — is the True Master.

The Parable of the Fakir and the Palace

Maskeen Ji brings Guru Nanak’s words alive through an anecdote of a fakir who once entered the palace of a king. Walking straight into the royal court, he declared he had come to spend the night in this ‘inn.’ The king corrected him, saying, “This is not an inn, it is my palace.” The fakir calmly replied, “Some years ago when I came here, another man told me this was his palace.” The king admitted, “That was my father.” The fakir continued, “And before him, another told me the same.” The king responded, “That was my grandfather.”

The fakir then asked, “Where are they now?” The king answered, “They have passed away.” At this the fakir concluded, “Then is this not truly an inn? People come, stay for a short time, call themselves the owner, and then leave. Only God is the Eternal Owner.”

Through this simple story, Maskeen Ji unfolds the truth: worldly ownership is fleeting; divine ownership is eternal.

God’s Greatness Cannot Be Contained

Maskeen Ji emphasizes that while human praise is often exaggerated or flattery, God’s greatness is real. Even the highest praises fall short, because He is beyond comprehension. Guru Nanak points to this mystery: the more we glorify Him, the greater He remains — unfathomable, without beginning or end.

Maskeen Ji illustrates this with Guru Nanak’s words: to call God “chief” or “lord” is like calling the sun a lamp. Such titles diminish His majesty because they arise from limited human understanding. Our language cannot capture the Infinite. The attempt to praise God is like offering a tiny candle to the blazing sun — sincere, but inadequate.

The Language of God is Love

Here Maskeen Ji opens a profound insight: “Sācā sāhib sāc nāe, bhākhiā bhāo apār.” — the Lord’s true language is love. His speech is not Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Tamil, English, or Chinese. His only true language is love.

Without love, rituals, prayers, and offerings are empty. Charity without love is mere transaction; knowledge without love is arrogance; devotion without love is lifeless. God accepts only what is offered with love.

Maskeen Ji uses a vivid analogy: imagine two people speaking different languages without understanding each other. No matter how much they speak, nothing meaningful is conveyed. Similarly, when worship is done without love, it does not reach God. Love is the medium through which God hears and responds.

The Human Habit of Asking

Guru Nanak observes the human tendency to approach God primarily with requests: “Ākhe mangeh deh deh, dāt kare dātār” — people speak and ask, “Give, give.” God, the Great Giver, continues to provide. Yet, Maskeen Ji notes, these prayers often reveal not love for God but attachment to His gifts. We treat God as a means to an end, rather than as the Beloved Himself.

Such devotion is conditional and utilitarian, seeking the benefits of health, wealth, or success, but not God Himself. This is why Guru Nanak raises the searching question: “Fer ke agai rakhīai, jit disai darbār?” — then what should we place before Him so that we may behold His Court?

The Offering that Opens the Divine Court

Guru Nanak answers his own question: the offering is not gold, rituals, or words of flattery. It is the discipline of rising at Amrit Vela — the ambrosial hours before dawn — and filling that sacred time with the remembrance of the True Name and reflection on God’s greatness.

Maskeen Ji explains that this time has been honored across traditions: in Sikhism it is called Amrit Vela, in Hindu thought it is Brahma Muhurta, and in Islamic mysticism it is Allah Suhbha (the dawn of Allah). It is a time when the world is quiet, the mind is calm, and the soul is most receptive.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji affirms: the one who becomes a beggar before God at Amrit Vela lives like a king during the day. Why? Because the inner wealth of divine remembrance transforms one’s entire being.

Karma and Grace — Two Different Pathways

Guru Nanak then draws a crucial distinction: “Karmī āvai kaprā, nadarī mokh duār”. By karma, one receives the robe of the body — meaning our actions earn us this human birth. But liberation — the doorway to freedom — comes only through God’s grace.

Maskeen Ji explains that actions motivated by desire (“I want this, I want that”) bind the soul to rebirth. Desires never end; they multiply. When life ends with unfulfilled desires, they pull the soul into another birth. Thus, karma rooted in longing ensures the cycle of reincarnation continues.

Only grace, received through loving remembrance and surrender, breaks this cycle. At Amrit Vela, when one meditates on God with love, His glance of grace descends, and liberation opens. Bondage to desire loosens, and the soul is freed.

Seeing God Everywhere

Guru Nanak concludes: “Nānak evai jāṇīai, sabh āpe sachiār” — know this well, the True One pervades all. When God’s grace shines, the seeker perceives His presence in all beings, in all creation. Then the soul lives as a mukt purakh — a liberated being, free, serene, and filled with divine vision. Life itself becomes liberation.

Maskeen Ji stresses that this realization is not intellectual but experiential. It dawns when love becomes the language of the heart and God’s grace becomes the guiding light.

Practical Reflections for the Seeker

From Maskeen Ji’s commentary, several practical lessons emerge:

1. Reframe Ownership — Recognize that worldly possessions are temporary. Treat life as an inn, not as a permanent home. This humility opens the heart to God as the True Master.

2. Shift from Asking to Loving — Instead of approaching God only with demands, cultivate devotion for God Himself. Seek His presence, not merely His gifts.

3. Practice Amrit Vela — Dedicate the quiet hours before dawn to remembrance of the Divine. Fill this sacred time with Naam Simran (repetition of the Name) and reflection on His greatness.

4. Value Love Over Ritual — Ensure that prayer, charity, or discipline are infused with genuine love. Without love, even the grandest acts are hollow.

5. Understand Karma and Grace — Actions alone cannot bring liberation. Grace is the key, and grace flows when the heart is filled with love and remembrance.

6. See God in All — Liberation is not escape from the world but transformation of vision. When God is seen in all, life becomes a continuous celebration of truth.

Conclusion — Walking in Love

Pauri 4 of Japji Sahib invites the seeker to walk in love, beyond the cycle of desire and rebirth. Guru Nanak calls us to recognize the True Owner, to rise at Amrit Vela, to speak the language of love, and to live with grace.

As Maskeen Ji beautifully illustrates, worldly greatness fades, but God’s greatness is eternal. Ownership shifts from generation to generation, but the True Master remains. Rituals and words fail to capture Him, but love always reaches Him. In love, grace descends, liberation dawns, and life itself becomes sacred.

O Nanak, know this well: the True One Himself pervades all.