Japji Sahib Pauree 23

Japji Sahib Pauree 23

Suniai: The Blossoming That Comes From Deep Listening

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Original Gurmukhi

ਸੁਣਿਐ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਿਧ ਪੀਰ ਸੁੁਰਿ ਨਾਥ ॥

ਸੁਣਿਐ ਧਰਤਿ ਧਵਲ ਆਕਾਸ ॥

ਸੁਣਿਐ ਦੀਪ ਲੋਅ ਪਾਤਾਲ ॥

ਸੁਣਿਐ ਪੋਹਿ ਨ ਸਕੈ ਕਾਲ ॥

ਨਾਨਕ ਭਗਤਾ ਸਦਾ ਵਿਗਾਸੁ ॥

ਸੁਣਿਐ ਦੂਖ ਪਾਪ ਕਾ ਨਾਸ ॥੨੩॥

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Transliteration

Suniai Nānak sidẖ pīr sur nāth.

Suniai dharaṯ dhaval ākās.

Suniai dīp loa pāṯāl.

Suniai poh na sakai kāl.

Nānak bhagṯā sadā vigās.

Suniai dūkh pāp kā nās.

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Straight Meaning (Sikh-accurate)

Guru Nanak teaches:

By listening deeply, truly listening, one becomes steady like siddhas, wise like pirs, anchored like spiritual masters.

Through listening, the nature of earth, its support, and the vastness of sky become known.

Through listening, the realms above and below come into understanding.

Through listening, even the fear of death cannot harm.

Those who live in devotion blossom endlessly.

Through listening, suffering and wrongdoing dissolve.

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Sacred Commentary

This is the third Suniai pauree, the river of “listening” widening as it flows.

Guru Nanak is not talking about the ears. He’s talking about the kind of listening that happens when the mind stops gripping, the heart stops bracing, and something inside you becomes available.

This listening reshapes the inner world.

It makes you steady like ancient mystics,

not because you gain powers,

but because you stop running from yourself.

It reveals the structure of the universe,

not intellectually,

but experientially, through alignment.

It shows that life is layered, expansive, interconnected.

It loosens the terror of death,

because when you touch what is eternal in you,

death becomes less of an enemy and more of a doorway.

Devotion becomes a blossoming, not a duty.

And the heavy residue of suffering begins to lift,

not through effort, but through attunement.

Listening, here, is the soul remembering its own shape.

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IFS Lens

In IFS language, this “listening” is Self-energy meeting your parts with full presence.

When a part finally feels heard, not fixed,

not pushed,

not managed,

it softens.Its fear loosens.

Its grip on pain relaxes just enough for breath to flow in.

This pauree mirrors that process exactly:

• Siddhas and pirs → the steadiness that arises when protectors trust Self.

• Earth and sky understood → the inner landscape becomes clearer.

• Worlds above and below → exiles, protectors, all layers of the system acknowledged.

• Death cannot harm → parts no longer feel they must guard against annihilation.

• Devotees blossom → when parts trust Self, vitality returns.

• Suffering and wrongdoing dissolve → not by force, but by compassionate witnessing.

  
  

Guru Nanak’s wisdom and IFS are pointing to the same movement:

Presence heals where pressure never could.

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Trauma-Informed Practice (Curiosity Only)

Let your system approach this pauree slowly.

You might notice:

• A part that softens at the idea of being deeply heard.

• A part that tightens or distrusts it.

• A part that wants to believe this.

• A part that feels nothing at all.

  
  

All of these responses are wise.

Gently ask inside:

• Is there a part of me that longs to be listened to in this way?

• Is there a part that feels cautious about listening?

• What happens in my body when I imagine not needing to brace?

• Is there anything in me that wants a little more space right now?

  
  

There is no right experience. There is only what arises.

This is the practice.

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Closing Reflection

Listening, in this pauree, is not a task.

It is a sanctuary.

A place where the soul leans back into what has always been holding it.

When the mind quiets its struggle,

when the heart opens a single inch,

when a part whispers and is finally received,

the whole system unfolds like a blossom warmed by dawn.

May you feel your belonging in this river of listening.

May your parts feel safe enough to approach the edge of your light.

And may something inside you remember

that blossoming is your birthright.