Japji Sahib Pauree 3
- Jan 22
- 4 min read
Japji Sahib Pauree 3
The Endless Giver • The Poverty of Greed • An IFS-Aligned Teaching
Original Gurmukhi
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਤਾਣੁ ਹੋਵੈ ਕਿਸੈ ਤਾਣੁ ॥
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਦਾਤਿ ਜਾਣੈ ਨੀਸਾਣੁ ॥
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਗੁਣ ਵਡਿਆਈਆ ਚਾਰ ॥
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵਿਖਮੁ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ ॥
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਸਾਜਿ ਕਰੇ ਤਨੁ ਖੇਹ ॥
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਜੀਅ ਲੈ ਫਿਰਿ ਦੇਹ ॥
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਜਾਪੈ ਦਿਸੈ ਦੂਰਿ ॥
ਗਾਵੈ ਕੋ ਵੇਖੈ ਹਾਦਰਾ ਹਦੂਰਿ ॥
ਕਥਨਾ ਕਥੀ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਤੋਟਿ ॥
ਕਥਿ ਕਥਿ ਕਥੀ ਕੋਟੀ ਕੋਟਿ ਕੋਟਿ ॥੩॥
Transliteration
Gaavai ko taan hovai kisai taan.
Gaavai ko daat jaanai neesaan.
Gaavai ko gun vadi-aa-ee-aa chaar.
Gaavai ko vidyaa vikhm veechaar.
Gaavai ko saaj karay tan kheh.
Gaavai ko jee-a lai fir deh.
Gaavai ko jaapai disai door.
Gaavai ko vekhai haadraa hadoor.
Kathnaa kathee na aavai tot.
Kath kath kathee kottee kot kot.
English Translation (Sikh-Accurate)
Some sing of His power,
who alone has true power.
Some sing of His gifts,
recognizing their signs.
Some sing of His virtues
and the greatness of His qualities.
Some sing of His knowledge
and the depth of His wisdom.
Some sing that He creates,
and the body returns to dust.
Some sing that He gives life,
and then takes it back again.
Some sing that He seems far away.
Some sing that He is ever-present and near.
There is no limit to describing Him.
Even if millions upon millions tried,
the descriptions would never end.
Sacred Commentary (Devotional, Clear, Non-Didactic)
Pauree 3 is a panorama of human perception.
It shows how every being sees the Divine
through the window of their own consciousness.
Some see power.S
ome see generosity.
Some see wisdom
Some see distance.
Some see intimate nearness
.All of them are singing the same Reality,
each from their own angle.
This Pauree unhooks us from the idea
that spiritual understanding must look one way.
Guru Nanak shows us a God who does not shrink to fit thought,
a Truth too vast to be contained in a single doctrine,
a Presence that reveals itself
according to the readiness of the seeker.
And yet…
Even with all these perspectives,
all these songs,
all these attempts to describe the Infinite,
“Kathanā kathī na aavai ṭot.”
There is no end to speaking of Him.
This is the humility of Pauree 3:
Not even the holiest words can touch the Whole.
This Pauree teaches:
All perception is partial.
All language is limited.
All understanding is a window, not the sky.
And that is not a failure.
It is the beauty of being human.
We are each singing the Infinite
from where we stand.
The IFS Lens (Alignment with Self-Energy Without Forcing Belief)
IFS teaches that every part of us perceives life differently:
A protector sees danger and distance.
A grateful part sees generosity.
A burdened part sees scarcity.
A spiritual part sees wisdom.
A wounded part sees absence.
A Self-led presence sees fullness and connection.
Pauree 3 honors this internal diversity.
It says:
You are not wrong for seeing what you see.
Your perception is shaped by where you are standing inside yourself.
And still, there is more.
There is always more.
The mind that feels abandoned
is not lying.
The part that feels held
is also not lying.
Each is singing its truth.
IFS and Pauree 3 both remind us:
No single part contains the Whole.
But together, the inner choir begins to approximate it.
This Pauree is permission:
to be where you are,
to see what you see,
to know it is not the final chapter.
Trauma-Informed Practice (Curiosity-Only • Non-Directive)
If it feels comfortable, let your eyes soften or remain open.
There is no correct way for your body to be here.
Bring the heart of Pauree 3 into the room
“Everyone perceives the Divine differently. All are partial, all are valid.”
Let these words rest beside you without accepting or rejecting them.
As they settle, notice what arises:
a sensation, a thought, an emotion, or nothing at all.
Some people feel relief, warmth, or openness.
Others feel skepticism, distance, or tension.
Every response is welcome.
Turn toward whichever part responds first.
Not to change it, only to be with it.
You may softly ask:
“How do you feel hearing that many perspectives exist?”
“What feels close, or what feels far away?”
If it feels safe, allow whatever arises,
words, images, sensation, silence,
to be expressed naturally.
You may also explore gently:
“What perspective might this part be singing from right now?”
There is nothing to fix.
Nothing to force.
Only curiosity and presence.
This is the practice.
Closing Reflection (Poetic, Grounded, Inclusive)
Pauree 3 is a universal embrace.
It honors the mystic,
the skeptic,
the poet,
he wounded,
the grateful
,the searching.
It says:
“Wherever you stand,
there is a song in you.”
No one sees everything.
No one sees nothing.
We each hold a piece of the Infinite
carved by our own history, longing, and clarity.
The point is not to be right
but to stay open.
This Pauree invites you to join the great chorus of existence,
where every voice, high or low, certain or trembling,
is part of the one unending hymn
that has no limit,
no boundary,
no final word.
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