Sukhmani Sahib (Ashtpadi 11, Salok, Pauri 1)
Sukhmani Sahib – Ashtpadi 11, Pauri 1
🌸 Ashtpadi 11 – Introduction to Pauri 1
This Ashtpadi begins with an emphatic declaration of divine sovereignty. The Shalok lays the foundation: God is the singular source of all action and existence—there is no second power. The first Pauri continues this theme, describing the Hukam (Divine Command) as the ultimate governing force of the universe. Everything—creation, destruction, social hierarchy, diversity in form and function—is shaped by God's Will. This Pauri is a profound contemplation of Divine Order, emphasising that God remains both the Doer and the Witness to His own creative glory.
❖ Salok
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਸਲੋਕੁ ॥
ਕਰਣ ਕਾਰਣ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਏਕੁ ਹੈ ਦੂਸਰ ਨਾਹੀ ਕੋਇ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਤਿਸੁ ਬਲਿਹਾਰਣੈ ਜਲਿ ਥਲਿ ਮਹੀਅਲਿ ਸੋਇ ॥੧॥
🔸 Hindi Transliteration (Devanagari):
सलोक ॥
करण कारण प्रभु एकु है, दूसर नाही कोइ ॥
नानक तिसु बलिहारणै, जलि थलि महीअलि सोइ ॥१॥
🔸 English Transliteration (Italicised):
Salok:
Karaṇ kāraṇ prabẖ ek hai, ḍūsar nāhī ko▫e.
Nānak ṯis balihāraṇai, jal ṯẖal mahī▫al so▫e. ||1||
🔸 English Translation:
Salok:
God alone is the Doer and the Cause; there is no other at all.
O Nanak! I am a sacrifice unto the One who pervades water, land, and sky. ||1||
✨ Pauri 1
1️⃣
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਕਰਨ ਕਰਾਵਨ ਕਰਨੈ ਜੋਗੁ ॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
करन करावन करनै जोगु ॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Karan karāvan karnai jog.
🔸 English Translation:
He alone is capable of acting and causing others to act.
2️⃣
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਜੋ ਤਿਸੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੋਈ ਹੋਗੁ ॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
जो तिसु भावै सोई होगु ॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Jo ṯis bhāvai soī hog.
🔸 English Translation:
Whatever pleases Him, that alone comes to pass.
3️⃣
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਖਿਨ ਮਹਿ ਥਾਪਿ ਉਥਾਪਨਹਾਰਾ ॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
खिन महि थापि उथापनहारा ॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Khin meh ṯhāp uṯhāpanhārā.
🔸 English Translation:
In an instant, He creates and destroys.
4️⃣
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਅੰਤੁ ਨਹੀ ਕਿਛੁ ਪਾਰਾਵਾਰਾ ॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
अंतु नहीं किछु पारावारा ॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Aṯ nahee kichh pārāvārā.
🔸 English Translation:
He has neither end nor any far shore.
5️⃣
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਹੁਕਮੇ ਧਾਰਿ ਅਧਰ ਰਹਾਵੈ ॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
हुकमे धारि अधर रहावै ॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Hukme ḍhār aḍhar rahāvai.
🔸 English Translation:
By His command, the earth remains upheld without support.
6️⃣
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਹੁਕਮੇ ਉਪਜੈ ਹੁਕਮਿ ਸਮਾਵੈ ॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
हुकमे उपजै हुकमि समावै ॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Hukme upjai hukam samāvai.
🔸 English Translation:
By His Will, it comes into being; by His Will, it merges again.
7️⃣
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਹੁਕਮੇ ਊਚ ਨੀਚ ਬਿਉਹਾਰ ॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
हुकमे ऊच नीच बिउहार ॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Hukme ūch neech biuhār.
🔸 English Translation:
By His Will, some lead exalted lives, others lowly.
8️⃣
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਹੁਕਮੇ ਅਨਿਕ ਰੰਗ ਪਰਕਾਰ ॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
हुकमे अनिक रंग परकार ॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Hukme anik rang parkār.
🔸 English Translation:
By His Will, countless colours and forms arise.
9️⃣
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਦੇਖੈ ਅਪਨੀ ਵਡਿਆਈ ॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
करि करि देखै अपनी वडिआई ॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Kar kar dekhai apnī vaḍiāī.
🔸 English Translation:
He creates and watches, beholding His own glory.
🔟
🔸 Gurmukhi:
ਨਾਨਕ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਸਮਾਈ ॥੧॥
🔸 Hindi (Devanagari):
नानक सभ महि रहिआ समाई ॥१॥
🔸 English (Italicised):
Nānak sabh meh rahiā samāī. ||1||
🔸 English Translation:
O Nanak! He is pervading all. ||1||
🌺 Essence of Pauri 1 – Ashtpadi 11
This Pauri is a grand declaration of Divine Sovereignty through Hukam (Command). Guru Arjan Dev Ji presents the Creator not only as the architect of existence but as the force sustaining, guiding, and dissolving all that exists. Every rise and fall, each form and function, is a manifestation of His Will. Whether it is the order of society, natural diversity, or cosmic rhythm—nothing escapes His ordinance. God delights in His creation, yet remains distinct from it, pervading all yet beyond all. The verse urges the seeker to shed egocentric illusions and align with the Divine Hukam—recognising the One Universal Consciousness as both the Actor and the Witness in all.
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NOTE: I am not a trained scholar in Sikh Studies or religious studies, in general. I have no claims of mastery or authority. What I offer is a seeker’s voice — a servant’s humble attempt to understand the depths of the divine wisdom encapsulated in these sacred lines. Should I have made any mistake, misinterpretation, or omission, I beg for unqualified forgiveness in advance from the Guru and the readers.